All Hail Zeon!
by Thunderscourge
Summary: Zeon has been vilified by many for its actions, but in war things are not as black and white as anyone would want them to be. Some Zeon soldiers are fighting for their rights against the tyrannical Federation, but the deck is stacked against them in achieving their noble goals. Can they change the path of the war, or fall victim to it? Can Garma and Dozle overcome Gihren's tyranny?
1. Overture to a New War

_It is beginning of the year 79 of the Universal Century. With celebrations of the New Year ending, Zeon is beginning to mobilize the war machines it has rapidly developed and amassed in recent months. It is time for Zeon to declare its true independence._

 _Controlling largely only the Side 3 space colony, Zeon has a great disadvantage to overcome against its vastly superior foe's sheer resources numbering on thirty times those of Zeon's. The Earth Federation had a military drawing its strength from all Sides except Side 3, not to mention those from the Earth itself. Some might think the challenge posed an impossible one, but Zeon has placed faith in its weapons of war, which are believed to be vastly superior to their Federation counterparts._

 _With such an ephemeral and early edge, even the lowliest of pilots in Zeon has the power to shift the tide of the war in some noticeable fashion. Two could have an even greater impact, though just how will come down to their actions: whether in-unison or in-opposition._

 _While some would go down in history, others could still very well change the course of that history._

* * *

"Lieutenant Hiyento, you ready for the meeting with the Vice Admiral?"

Warm, friendly, and maybe a little bit smug. The third class Lieutenant Emmerich was known for his good charm and affability.

"Of course."

Something not shared by the partner he had been assigned, another low ranking Lieutenant named Amir Hiyento. Whereas Emmerich could get along with almost anyone, Amir's icy eyes and attitude kept nearly any living soul away whenever they had the choice to do so. He was a stoic military man despite never having been to war, and if not for his long flowing teal hair he would be a picturesque soldier.

They had come together when Zeon was testing its new weapons, each of them piloting a Zaku-I in all of its glory at the time to give the researchers the data they needed to complete the project. While a small role overall, it gave each of them the attention of one of Zeon's leading officers, that being Vice Admiral Dozle Zabi himself.

Dozle was the son of the nation's Sovereign, Degwin Zabi, but by no means did he fail to live up to the rank granted to him by nepotism. A hulking man of over seven feet, Dozle had a deep care for his soldiers, and so Emmerich and even the cold Amir were honored to be placed under his command for the coming blitzkrieg assault on the unwary Federation.

Given their previous, albeit minor, experience with the man, the two were called to meet with him in-person before their operation. They had not yet received their specific details, or even what units they would belong to, but thanks to their previous connections with the mobile suit technicians and developers they had at least managed to have their personal Zakus painted in a custom manner.

Without more to truly say, the two left their quarters on their military facility to meet with their commanding officer. Emmerich had known Amir long enough to give him his space and respect his taciturn demeanor, but he hoped on some levels to crack the shell eventually.

The meeting room, Dozle's personal office on Side 3, was inside one of the space docks where Zeon's weapons of war were being prepared. Musai Cruisers, Zaku-1's, Zaku-II's, and soldiers all were preparing for the coming fight against the tyrannical Federation that would deprive them of rights, would treat them as if they were inferior solely for having been born in space rather than on their precious Earth.

When the two pilots arrived at the dock's office they were allowed inside without hesitation by the guard standing by at its door, a man known as Shin Matsunaga who was both a close friend and the guard of Dozle.

Inside the spacious room was the Vice Admiral himself, who even seated was about the height of his visitors. Dozle rose from his seat to salute the men as they entered, a gesture they returned without missing a beat,

"Welcome gentlemen. It is good to see you both again."

He holds a hand out to signal the two to take a seat across from him. On the structure are an array of picture frames that the pilots could not see from their initial view, although with enough effort Emmerich manages to sneak a glance.

There were three picture frames visible to the man. The first was of Dozle and the entire Zabi family, including Dozle's deceased brother Sasro in a family portrait. This, in addition to the lack of the prominent facial scars Dozle now held, showed just how long ago this photo was taken, further compounded by how Emmerich doubted Dozle would willingly take a picture with his sister Kycilia at this point of time.

Center of the frame is Degwin, the man who took Zeon from the mere satellite colony to the burgeoning nation it was now, and to his side was his favorite son, Garma Zabi. The youngest of the family, Garma was a man born with a woman's beauty, and despite his young age of about twenty he was well beloved by their entire country. Standing aside Garma was his sister Kycilia, whose face appeared nowhere as cold and menacing as it was known to be now.

Lastly, Gihren stood proudly in the photo, as if he was in on some joke no-one else was. Neither Emmerich nor Amir were fans of the eldest Zabi child, but given how charismatic he proved to be with many troops it was not an opinion one could easily voice. The rumors surrounding his handling of the Deikun affair was enough to put off any rational being, his propaganda of leading Zeon into a new age notwithstanding.

The other two photos were far less crowded, possessing a charming simplicity to them as far as Emmerich was concerned: the second photo is of a younger Dozle is an Ensign's uniform saluting to a camera, likely from his time at the military academy, though what made the photo endearing was the maybe ten year old child mimicking him completely at his side, Garma's purple hair only coming up to Dozle's stomach. The brothers obviously had a strong bond unlike the rest of the siblings, and while Emmerich did not personally know the youngest Zabi he found himself tempted to meet him one day.

The last photo was of Dozle in his full military uniform standing with a woman in his arms bridal style, fitting given that the orange haired woman she was wearing a wedding dress. Emmerich inferred that this was Dozle wife Zenna, who Dozle was rumored to talk with his soldiers about at length given his undying love for her. Should that rumor be true, Emmerich was prepared to warn Dozle that it is always the one who talks about their family who will die in a book or television show, but for now he was content with knowing that he was serving under a Human being and not a heartless fiend.

Interestingly, after Emmerich's cursory observation of the photos he caught Amir doing the very same action. The very fact that Amir would be interested in looking over such things surprised his partner, but now was not the time to confront such an issue.

Not as perceptive as the quick eyed Emmerich, Dozle remained standing as he slid the files lain out for the soldiers on his desk towards their recipients.

"January 3rd, one day from now, will mark the beginning of the Zeon-Federation war. We will be moving in to strike Sides 1, 2 and 4 simultaneously and rapidly. The Federation outnumbers our forces severely, but we have the advantage of Mobile Suits."

A notable advantage, if Emmerich and Amir's experience with them meant anything. The Federation likely had no idea what was about to hit them: what use were guns meant to hit cruisers against such 'small' targets? Emmerich was not about to be sloppy though: he had traded up for a Zaku-II and its extra armor would make it feel slower than his Zaku-I he imagined, so he would have to be careful not to be too lax in dodging enemy bombardments.

"A Musai cruiser will bring you to their defensive line where you will wait until the order to strike is given. When it comes, attack their forces and eliminate all Federation ships in the area. They will be using the outdated Saberfish fighters as well as their inadequate Salamis cruisers to defend them. The Saberfish have little firepower, but protect your back. There is a chance they can damage your reactors despite the weakness of their weapons. The Salamis cruiser will have difficulty tracking your Zaku units if you remain mobile, so you can safely ignore it until the fighters protecting it have been dealt with."

Amir looks the scarred and burly Vice Admiral in the eye without flinching, a question having entered his mind, "Will we have a time-frame, sir?"

"Yes, but it is a generous one. You need to disable them before they can be reinforced, but you also need to keep their attention on you and lure them into running after you when your initial attack is complete. By attacking their main force you will be diverting their attention from the efforts on Side 2, known as Operation British, where Gihren intends to drop an unpopulated Colony cylinder on the Earth Federation's main base, Jaburo. Should it go as planned, the Federation will not only lose their military stronghold but also much of their standing army in space."

The battle plan did not stir any particular emotions in the two pilots, but that they would be destroying a Space Colony to use it as a devastating weapon on their enemy? One could see the practical side of dropping such a large object from orbit on the enemy's primary base, crush them in one swift blow, and keep the conflict from dragging out and causing the entire Earth and every Side from being destroyed in all out warfare…but the barbarity of it still could belong to few but the ruthless Gihren himself.

Dozle's face betrayed some of his own uncertainty about the operation, but he appeared capable of reigning in his regrets, "Given the estimated casualties, we do not expect this entire conflict to last longer than one month. The weak Earth Federation will be unable to stomach the losses they suffer, and we will press our advantage."

As each of the soldiers flipped through their documents they noticed a page that was dedicated to a man with platinum hair and a bony face that made his serious expression even more prominent.

"You two will be joined by Lieutenant Schmitzer who will serve as team leader of your operation. You may speak with him about any further details afterwards. He is an experienced pilot like you and has been serving our armed forces for a decade. I expect great things from the three of you," Dozle stated proudly, seemingly looking forward to this coming conflict.

Dozle brought a hand up to salute each of the men again, which they returned as they stood up in preparation for their departure.

"You are dismissed for now. Report to Lieutenant Schmitzer at your assigned Musai and prepare for your operation. These beginning moments will determine the course of the war, so do your best for Zeon!"

* * *

The hangar was a sight to behold for the two soldiers when they entered it again to head to their post. Large warships and mobile suits alike sat in waiting, the machines of war even including a great deal of the new Zaku-II mobile suits that you have heard much of with their improved performance. Zeon was sparing no expense to crush the Federation in one fell swoop: it was the only way they could triumph, and failure would have dire consequences.

Their files specify that their Musai, the Jotun, was the vessel at the rear of the hangar. From across the large hangar Emmerich and Amir could see technicians busying themselves loading it with supplies while an officer overlooks the procedures.

The officer appeared strict in his features, but they softened as he noticed Emmerich and Amir both approaching. He waved them over to him and saluted them when they reached him. Each could recognize him as the man in their file, but they let him introduce himself nonetheless.

"Hello, I am Lieutenant Garrett Schmitzer. You must be those two test pilots Vice-Admiral Dozle assigned to me. Care to introduce yourselves?"

Emmerich took the lead, "I am Lieutenant Third Class Emmerich, sir, reporting for duty. I look forward to helping however possible in the coming engagement."

Schmitzer smiled at the soldier who was as green as his uniform, though he received a more minimal response from the second soldier who simply stated his name and rank. Opposite personalities, but both were fresh meat as far as he was concerned.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Now, I know Command is selling this mission as a cakewalk, but remember we're going to be outnumbered. Stick together and don't let them get in behind you, and be sure not to expose your back to the Salamis cruiser at any point. I don't want to be sending condolence letters home, especially in a war that'll be so short."

Emmerich tried sharing a glance with Amir, but his partner continued to look forward at their superior officer.

Sensing that they had little more to say, Schmitzer pointed a thumb back to the Musai's boarding ramp.

"Well, if that's all, get on board and get some rest. The crew quarters have rations and bunks for you both. I'll be there shortly after I finish overseeing the supplying of the ship. Now's also the time to get some team bonding in if you two haven't already spoken much. Trust is important in battle."

This said, he let the two men past him and they boarded their ship. In addition to the Zaku piloted by their squad leader the green cruiser would hold both Emmerich's tan Zaku-II with its aquamarine highlights, a gaudy attempt at fashion, as well as Amir's royal purple Zaku-I with its mauve highlights. With such a force, their chance of individual victory was quite high, but strategies and tactics rarely survived past initial contact so whether the odds would remain in their favor was yet to be seen.

Inside the ship the pilots are met with the sight of technicians seeing to every possible issue and matter before the ship sets sail for its coming operation, and the vessel's simple design allows for it to run with a minimal crew, an essential trait for a fighting force as small as Zeon's.

It did not take long for the two to settle in on the vessel that very well may become their home for the next week or so if things went as planned…or longer, if things went off the rails.

The Musai had lifted off by the time the two were settled in with their minimal belongings in their cramped quarters of a shared room. They needed to be in place when the operation was launched, so there was little time to spare in terms of movement.

For those on board, however, this would likely be the last moment of calm before the storm of the war, so Emmerich decided he best use it the way Schmitzer had wanted him to: getting to know his antisocial comrade a bit better.

"So, this is our big moment…" he paused as he looked over to Amir, who was not showing any sign of response, "You feeling up to making history today?"

Amir continued to look over details related to the mission instead of look at his companion, "The Federation will see soon enough how much I intend to do just that."

Sensing that perhaps his companion was the sort to plan someone's ultimate downfall for so much as irritating him, Emmerich decided to let things sit there for the time being. Gradual progress it would be then.

Silence fell between the two as they waited, and after some brief rest their uncomfortable muteness was interrupted by a soft series of knocks at their door. Since Amir was closer to the door he got up to open it, though he paused when it was only a crack open so he could stare out at the person there: a woman in a Lieutenant's uniform who had crimson red hair and a soft face that complemented her small frame. She seemed a little surprised by the odd greeting, especially given the pilot's piercing eyes, but she recovered quickly and spoke up.

"Excuse me, but Lieutenant Schmitzer has requested you on the bridge. If you could follow me…"

She seemed even newer than the two pilots, probably fresh from the academy. While Amir had experience in the military in the six years since he graduated at 19, he was not a combat hardened veteran, but he had at least some immunity built in during those years. Someone as fresh and timid as this might have a tougher time out there, but he was not going to comment on it since it was not his place.

Given that they were being summoned, the two prepared themselves for the meeting and followed after the one sent to retrieve them.

The red haired woman led them to the Jotun's bridge where Schmitzer was waiting beside the captain of the ship, a man with a gaunt face and blue hair who seems familiar and you feel you should know. As the soldiers arrived Schmitzer left the captain's side and moved to speak to them by where they entered.

He nodded first to the woman and then dismissed her before speaking to the pilot duo, "Thank you Lieutenant Hepner. At ease, soldiers. I have confirmed the details of our attack with Captain M'Quve."

Bringing a hand over to a display of the approaching battlefield, Schmitzer began to give the operation's current details.

"Now, there will be four squads of four Saberfish fighters each protecting one Salamis class cruiser. Here are the technical specifications of each of these craft for you to study."

He gave his pilots a folder each and then turned back to his display, his hand moving towards a specific point on the pictured Federation ships.

"Given that this is a surprise attack, I say that we hit the bridge of the Salamis cruiser to start. By crippling its bridge we can prevent it from being of any further threat in the battle, leaving only the Saberfish as real threats," he looked between his soldiers, "One of us should use a 280mm Bazooka to get the job done while the other two bring 120mm Machine Guns to gun down the Saberfish."

The bazooka was more effective at range and would be quite capable of handling the large cruisers, but would falter against the faster moving Saberfish without great deal of luck. The 120mm machine gun however would be more suited for taking down the Saberfish, while also having a decent albeit lower effect on the cruisers. Given that they did not have time to chip away at the cruisers, it would be important to cripple it swiftly, thus necessitating the bazooka even if it would be nigh useless otherwise against small fighter craft.

Schmitzer continued his briefing, "Now, we only have one chance to take them by surprise. We all will be able to coordinate our fire before they can react, but we need to make sure to take out that bridge right away. Do you have any preference on who should use the bazooka for that first shot?"

This time when Emmerich turned to exchange a glance, Amir returned it. Amir had demonstrated better capability in close ranged mobile suit combat and, while not bad at it, was inferior to Emmerich at ranged combat. If they were to make the first shot count, Emmerich would be the better choice.

Their decision silently made between them, Emmerich turned back to Schmitzer, "I will, sir."

"Very well then. I will have the Zakus fitted accordingly. Our Musai will provide fire support in the mission, and it is vital that we do not let it be harmed. It would be unfortunate to defeat the Federation forces but be left adrift," Schmitzer gave a grin, but it was one of dark humor.

Being left to drift in space was quite possibly the nightmare of the majority of space pilots: left in the cold with diminishing fuel, air, and the possibility of death at any given moment in this instance given that it would also be a warzone.

"Visibility should be fine given that our region has minimal Minovski Particles interfering with our systems. We will, however, adapt our combat strategy once the fight breaks out, but we should try to focus down the Saberfish squads one at a time. Each squad will likely coordinate its attacks, so eliminating them entirely will cripple their chances of getting any of us."

Done with his explanation of the situation, Schmitzer smiled to the two younger soldiers.

"First round is on me for whichever of you takes down the most ships today."

That brought a smile even to the taciturn Hiyento's face.

* * *

It was not long before the two pilots found themselves in their mobile suits, all gathered around the Jotun as they waited for their orders to rush forth and assault the unaware Federation forces located in the sector.

Emmerich could feel his arms tense up as he prepared for the moment he would become a true soldier of Zeon: prepared for when he took a life in for the glory of his people and for their freedom.

Fortunately for him, the voice of his commanding officer came over their radio to calm him, "Take it easy, men. The Federation seem to be exactly as Lady Kycilia's agents said they would be. Follow the predetermined plan and excise caution. They don't know what we're up to yet, but we don't want to blow the entirety of this operation."

Nerves did not have time to settle back into Emmerich, as right after the event that would come to be known as the "Three Second Warning" came to be: Zeon declared war and, in mere moments, launched a vicious assault on the Federation armada and their space colonies who dared to abide by the Federation's mistreatment.

"The declaration of war has been sent! Commence the operation!"

The freedom of Zeon was at hand. The Federation would be driven back, expelled from space, that day.

A new beginning awaited the Spacenoids fighting for freedom…

And for millions others, their curtains were to be called.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below! This story is from a longrunning Gundam Roleplaying game I ran with friends of mine, so it is thanks to them that this story is possible. Thanks to my many notes and some of our play by post sessions, I can bring to life the game we shared that has honestly been one of the best experiences of my life and by far the best RPG I have ever had.**_

 _ **Please leave your thoughts in the review section below, and please follow/favorite the story if you enjoyed!**_


	2. The Might of Zeon

_For decades the Earth Federation, led by a political elite whose greed knew little bounds, had subjugated those who lived in their space colonies up above. Diminished rights and representation, economic stresses, and a new form of racism was born: hatred of Spacenoids as they would come to be called._

 _A politician rose from this desperate plight on the third colony, Side 3, by the name of Zeon Deikun. With his charisma and vision he rallied the people of his colony towards a better future, one where they would evolve beyond their current status, as well as beyond humanity itself._

 _A driven man, Zeon Deikun passed not long after his rise to power due to overexertion. Rumors surrounded this, but no evidence could be found that anything but the man's own ambition and spirit had led to his collapse. Naming his right hand man, Degwin Zabi, as the next leader, Side 3 came to be named after its former leader as the Zabi family became its autocratic leaders._

 _While a dictator, Degwin continued to support his people and their rights as opposed to what the Earth Federation would allow them to have. They wished for autonomy, for so long as they were forced to serve and support the withering Earth they were little better than shackled slaves. For his ardent support, and with the aid of his eldest son Gihren the Zabi family created a cult of personality centered around not only their own greatness, but that of the Spacenoids, for together they would achieve the ideals of Zeon Deikun. Achieve a "Newtype" of humanity._

 _With rallying speeches, decades of festered frustration, and a sense of patriotism possibly not rivaled throughout Human history, it was obvious that a revolution would happen to all but the corrupt and dilapidated Earth leaders._

 _And with the declaration of war, fueled by the zeitgeist of the time, there was only one way forward: complete and total victory, casting aside the shackles Zeon was born into and crush the government that dared hold them down._

* * *

"Lieutenant Emmerich, you may fire when ready."

Emmerich felt himself breathing heavily as he throttled his Zaku-II forward and quickly brought the new weapon of war into range of the enemy still in a state of lax security. The engagement zone they were about to engage in by the colony was an enclosed rectangle caused by space debris and asteroids, but within it there was little refuse that would get in the way of the battle.

The voice had belonged to the Captain of the Musai, a man he only truly knew by reputation: M'Quve, the right hand soldier of Lady Kycilia Zabi. Few were as ruthless as Kycilia, but M'Quve was known to be quite nearly as cutthroat.

Emmerich used his suit's thruster to stop its momentum just at the edge of his range so that he could aim without fear of being easily shot down by the Federation Cruiser's weapons: four Cruisers were nearby, with sixteen visible Saberfish. To attract their attention all at once could lead to Emmerich's suit being overwhelmed, so caution was still called for even as he prepared in the last moments before the blitz.

Taking in a breathe, Emmerich moved his suit so that his bazooka was aimed at the nearest cruiser. The Zaku-II handled very similar to its Zaku-I predecessor, albeit the smallest bit slower due to its extra armor. Still, the humanoid mobile suit was a force to be reckoned with and he intended to make that known.

The bazooka fired as he finished calming his nerves, and just as the enemy seemed to realize they were under attack the front bow of the Salamis Cruiser disappeared in a bright light. While the rest of the Cruiser remained functional, the strike took out multiple weapon systems and undoubtedly sent the crew inside into shock and terror over what just suddenly happened.

The Zaku, with its one eye and supreme power at the start of the war, would become the face of Zeon for good reason.

"And with that shot our war truly begins. Attack before they can respond!" Lieutenant Schmitzer cried out, his own light blue Zaku-II moving towards the battlefield as Amir followed beside him.

"I'll cover your backs and the Musai, you go on ahead," Schmitzer announced, which was met with affirmative confirmations from his two pilots. The cruisers at the far edge of the area were trying to react and throw out as much fire as they could, but their weapons had been made for the technology of years and wars past: they were hopelessly outdated and not meant at all for Mobile Suit combat.

Emmerich finished preparing his weapon for another shot when the first group of Saberfish, in a squadron of four, came at him. He fired into their formation with the hopes of taking multiple out at once, but by utilizing the three dimensional aspect of space they managed to avoid the brunt of the damage; however, two only escaped it with damage to their fuselage and rear thrusters.

Saberfish were like jet fighters in space, and as such they were equipped to face other fighters like them. This meant that as a Zaku-I charged at their location from where they avoided Emmerich's strike that they were caught off guard by the machine's ruthless speed and were unable to judge accurately how its hand-held rifle would fire.

The two damaged Saberfish were cut down in a flurry of gunfire by Hiyento as he moved straight towards them and then past their formation. Emmerich glanced over to see that Amir was heading to the damaged cruiser.

"I'll finish this one."

Emmerich appreciated the initiative, but he also was far less equipped to deal with the Saberfish than Amir was.

An arc of gunfire finished the two straggler craft as Emmerich finished preparing his next salvo, and while he could not see where it came from he knew that Schmitzer had his back as he said he would. Feeling comfortable, the green pilot looked to find his partner and whatever he was getting into.

The Federation Cruisers had locked onto the Musai as it was something they could actually hit with more than a glancing shot or two, though this left them open for Amir to close in on the damaged cruiser. The next squadron of Saberfish tried to halt him, but their guns had little noticeable effect on the Zaku-I, and many missed due to a combination of prodigious reflexes on Amir's part and the fact that his suit's dark coloration made it more difficult to pick out in the darkness of space.

To dissuade them from firing at him, Amir approached the cruiser directly and drew his suit's Heat Hawk. The Heat Hawk was, as one would expect, a superheated weapon in the shape of an axe that would recharge itself on the back of a Zaku so that it was more than just a blunt weapon when swung.

Using his suit's momentum and the blistering heat of the axe, Amir carved into the craft as he made his pass by it. Its metal tore open and small chain reactions tore the damaged areas apart even beyond the direct damage done.

Not about to be one-upped, especially not when he could make a name for himself so easily at the start of this war, Emmerich took aim at the second Salamis Cruiser and opened fire.

"For Zeon!"

This missile was far better aimed than his initial one as his nerves began to unwind and his training kicked in: not only did it strike the bridge of the craft, it did so in a manner that also took with it the engines of the craft. The resulting chain reaction tore the ship apart and the crew of hundreds vanished in a brilliant flash of light.

Amazed at what he had accomplished, as well as slightly horrified with how easily he just took so many lives, Emmerich paused to watch the spectacle.

"Good shooting, but don't forget about the others behind you," Schmitzer warned, and none too soon. Emmerich twisted his suit around to catch some Saberfish fire with his suit's front rather than back. A solid hit on a Zaku's reactor could lead to sudden death, so he appreciated the heads up that possibly saved his life.

As Emmerich took another scattering shot at a squadron of Saberfish while being covered by his leader, Amir had moved his Zaku to be right in front of the enemy's bridge and was carving it to pieces with strike after strike. After enough swipes the enemy's command structure was torn open, soldiers been torn into the vacuum of space as Amir turned around and used the remains of it as a kickoff point. His engine charred the remains of the compromised bridge and his Zaku launched at the third group of Saberfish, the ones who previously had to ignore him due to his proximity to their own ship.

Thanks to a coordinated effort between himself and Emmerich, Schmitzer managed to down three more Saberfish while their Musai under M'Quve had crippled one more of the enemy cruisers, "That's half of them. Stay focused and careful!"

Emmerich took a shot at the same group Amir was approaching, though unlike his previous attempts this bazooka blast hit one of the Saberfish on the wing and caused it to spiral out of control into yet another, taking both of them out while the shrapnel of his blast tore off the engine of yet another Saberfish.

The last of the Squadron was not about to give up, however, and primed its missiles to fire right at the stationary Zaku.

"Zeon cretins!" the Federation pilot called out over the communication lines, his fingers on the trigger—

Emmerich found himself laughing as he saw what was about to happen the moment before it did…not to him, but rather to the Saberfish.

—only for a Heat Hawk to catch the Saberfish right along the fuselage and tear straight through it from front to back. The two halves of the ship split apart and each suffered a chain reaction as the missile payload they had held detonated on them rather than their intended Zaku enemy.

"Woah, good one Hiyento," Emmerich commented, though he was a bit surprised with how brutally efficient his ally was, "Remind me to stay on your good side!"

"Keep shooting," was the only response he got as Amir put the Heat Hawk back on its recharge-rack and prepared to fire with his rifle again.

Emmerich shook his head, realizing that he was really getting distracted this fight…though, unlike the veteran Schmitzer and the icy Amir, he did have reason to perhaps falter in his resolve now and again, "Right, right."

The last five Saberfish left and their sole supporting Salamis Cruiser turned their attention on the Musai and the Zaku guarding it. Throughout the fight the Musai had been focusing on dealing as much damage with its lasers as it could to the Federation craft while also not taking too much itself, and it was beginning to show its wear and tear from being outnumbered four to one in terms of ships.

Schmitzer's Zaku was also beginning to show some damage, for even though the enemy Saberfish could barely put a dent in the armor of a Zaku, with enough gunfire they were managing to simply wear it down at points. He was serving as a distraction for his men in that regard, drawing the attention of as many of the enemy Saberfish as possible so that they would not just swarm and target the backsides of his men.

Unfortunately for the five remaining Saberfish, Schmitzer was a Zaku ace who had more experience in that seat than the vast majority of Zeon's pilots. 120mm rifle in hand, he methodically took down each of the remaining craft as they did their best to avoid the gunfire of Amir and Emmerich, and within a thirty second span the five craft were destroyed.

"You alright, Lieutenant?" Emmerich called out as he noticed the dents and holes in his superior's suit. He had only just met Schmitzer but he respected the man for his ability both in combat and to stay calm and focused on the task at hand.

Schmitzer's voice was warm over the radio, "I can manage. The frame is damaged, but the cockpit hasn't been impacted."

Emmerich could swear he could hear Amir sigh in relief, but he could have simply been hearing things, especially since right at that moment an explosion caused disturbance over the radio: the Musai had finished off the final remaining enemy craft.

The last of their enemies in the area incapacitated, a collective breath of relief was uttered by the pilots, "Captain M'Quve, how's the Musai holding up?"

The Captain's effeminate voice responded with a bit of smugness in it, "It has been impaired, but given the circumstances it is in adequate shape."

Schmitzer did a cursory look over his forces and came to a conclusion easily: they could press on and assist in one of the many other battlezones where explosions could still be seen in the distance, or they could pull back and not risk their lives when they were in a vulnerable state. They had more than done their part for the war's overture.

"Well, I don't think there is much more we can contribute to this battle given our fuel, ammunition, and damage. Lets pull back."

Emmerich let out a breathe of relief as he set his Zaku on a course back to the Musai. He had been worried that they would push themselves to their limits, so the decision to pull back was one he appreciated with his life, "Aye, aye, sir."

Still, as his Zaku joined the other two in the Musai's loading bay he realized something: he had taken out a cruiser and three Saberfish. Five "kills" and you were an ace, and he doubted other pilots would credit a cruiser kill for more given that it was just a bigger ship and was still hopelessly outmatched by the Zakus.

"Five kills and I'd have been an ace…so close!" he complained as he climbed out of his cockpit. His cursing of his luck did not go unheard, as Amir nodded: he had similarly taken out a cruiser and three Saberfish, so he too was on the cusp of being a renowned pilot after a single engagement.

"If only cruisers counted for more."

Emmerich thought back to the battle's spectacular explosion resulting from one of his very own shots…that was something he was sure would stay with him for awhile, if not forever. Amir had done well as well, having accomplished the same feat of destroying an enemy cruiser in a more hack and slash manner, "Hehe, yeah, we did carve those up pretty well, didn't we?"

Hiyento merely nodded as he moved in the gravity-less environment towards the place the cramped vessel held its sleeping quarters. Before he got too far the two were approached by their squad leader Schmitzer, who gave a salute to the two as he floated by them.

"I'll take care of the reports, but if there is anything you two would like me to add in, let me know. You did well today for your first real combat mission. Get some rest."

They didn't need to be told twice, and before long the group was on their way back to Side 3 to be resupplied and to wait for redeployment. The damage to the Musai and Schmitzer's mobile suit were enough to have the whole group recalled, giving the pilots some rest as other groups took to the offensive as conflict still raged on at Sides 1, 2, and 4.

By the time Emmerich and Hiyento had returned to Side 3 and slept the smallest amount, Ensign Hepner, the red haired woman from before, had left the mission reports Lieutenant Schmitzer filed earlier for the pilots to examine and look over.

Little stood out in the files, however each of the two noticed that in the report Schmitzer had ascribed one of his own ten Saberfish kills to each of them instead, meaning that both of them were technically aces. Perhaps he had overheard them as well and was feeling generous given their efforts? The report also detailed the destruction of the enemy Salamis ships, which would no doubt look good on both of the pilots for their success at taking them down.

Amir and Emmerich each smiled to themselves as they grew to appreciate their squad leader, even if this was a bit underhanded. They had helped him get those kills at least, or else they may feel a bit guiltier about the hand out.

* * *

When the Musai was fully docked and ready to disembark the duo went to their bridge to ask permission to leave, which their Captain allowed Schmitzer to decide upon.

The platinum haired man smiled at the two younger soldiers as he nodded to their request to go on temporary shore leave, "I will be meeting with Captain M'Quve and lady Kycilia. Feel free to do as you please, but keep in contact with the base for when you are needed. If there is anything you need from me, do contact me. I will be preparing for our next deployment after my meeting."

Given that they would not be sent out that very same day, the pilots were free to mill about in the meantime near the base. While not exactly close friends, the two were now members of the same squad and decided in the end to stick together in their free time if only to stick together and be ready for deployment when the time came.

Their first stop was a bar by the base where officers would frequent regularly, even notable ones such as Dozle Zabi (though that was more of a testament of the man's character than the bar itself). The waitresses were familiar to Emmerich, who had made a habit of coming here to eat and drink when the opportunity lent itself, so one he knew by the name of Sherry had set aside earlier a seat for him at the best spot in the bar to celebrate his return.

The bar was crowded and finding space would have been difficult without this saved seat, so Emmerich thanked her as he took it and Amir took the one next to him. There was a television broadcasting news related to the war, and while Amir and Emmerich waited for their drinks they decided to tune in and get caught up on what had happened so far.

News of various victories were being plastered on the screen as a form of propaganda, though it was hardly lying: they were crushing the Federation in their sudden assault. Even the Earth's own broadcasts were reporting on their crushing losses.

"—and I will be filling in for JNN's Kinue Crossroad. Reports of numerous Zeon blitzkrieg attacks have taken the world by storm as the nation based on Side 3 declared war in what some are describing as three seconds before attacking Federation forces—"

The news was soon replaced though with an attractive newscaster standing beside what seemed to be a leaderboard of Zeon's top pilots, those who had achieved notoriety in these first few hours of combat with displays of valor.

The list served as a great form of amusement to the two given that the very last name on it was "Amir Hiyento" as the tenth most notable pilot so far. Presumably number eleven would be Emmerich, but nonetheless the two shared a quiet celebration since Amir did not seem open to much more praise than that, and Emmerich dared not cause a scene in a crowded bar of people in high spirits: they might embarrass Hiyento, and Emmerich was quite sure he would die if that happened.

As it stood, the leaderboard in the first few hours of the conflict went as follows:

1) Ramba Ral

2) Dozle Zabi

3) Shin Matsunaga

4) Norris Packard

5) Char Aznable

6) Garrett Schmitzer

7) Gaia

8) Johnny Ridden

9) Lou Roher

10) Amir Hiyento

Of course, Amir noted, that Dozle and Shin would be up there: Dozle was not supposed to be engaging in direct conflict, but he likely had taken to battle in his custom Zaku-II and beat the Federation forces to death with his near unmatched prowess in close combat which was only bolstered by having an extremely competent guard.

Amir had been new to the Zeon military academy when Dozle was an upperclassman, but he had respected the man for not being a stuck up snob despite his background as well as for his impressive military might and mind. It was this acquaintanceship that had Dozle recommend Amir to the testing program, which in turn brought him to directly serve Dozle as a pilot in the end.

Dozle was a good man, and despite his own pride he was proud for Dozle that he had accomplished so much. When he had looked at Dozle's pictures earlier he had been reminded of the times he briefly saw the Zabis while attending the academy, and he was proud to serve such a capable family. While Gihren rubbed him the wrong way, seeing Dozle teach and involve his younger brother gave him confidence that these were worthy leaders of Zeon.

The other names on the list did not really ring a bell outside of Schmitzer, who had done superbly, and Char Aznable, who Emmerich had heard rumors about. The man was mysterious in that he always wore a mask, but he was apparently at the top of his class at the military academy along with his friend Garma Zabi, which they would have just recently graduated at their young age.

When their drinks were served, both Amir and Emmerich found themselves smiling: they had survived, Zeon was winning, and at this rate the war would be over as quickly as Dozle had suggested it may be.

Content, they brought their glasses together and gave quiet cheers.

If only the war would play out as simply as they imagined.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below! If you catch the other Gundam references, kudos to you! For any wondering, Schmitzer is from Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front, the game.  
**_

 _ **Please leave your thoughts in the review section below, and please follow/favorite the story if you enjoyed!**_


	3. Operation: British

Some time went by before the team was resupplied and ready to head to the frontlines again. Not only did Lieutenant Schmitzer's mobile suit need fixing alongside countless others, the Musai had sustained damage and M'Quve had been called away to help Princess Kycilia with some matter.

When word got to Emmerich and Amir that they would be headed out again, they decided that it would be best to get some actual food at their base's mess hall than eat whatever would be served onboard the Musai.

When they arrived, the two were instantly bombarded by the noise of a rowdy crowd, though this was not a disgruntled form of rowdy but rather a cheerful kind. Spirits were high as they had been in the bar, and no-one could blame the soldiers who had returned for one reason or another for swapping battle stories and doing so loudly.

While Emmerich and Amir were getting their food, three men cut them off in line. Two of the men were short, though one of them towered over the other two. They were all laughing together about something one had said, and they seemed to completely ignore the other two pilots as they cut the line.

Not caring for this, Amir pushed past them and resumed his original position in line. Sensing that this might end badly, Emmerich moved around the trio to stand beside Amir in solidarity, though internally cursing his comrade's miniscule tolerance for bullshit.

The one at the front of the trio, a bearded ugly man who was somewhat overweight, jabbed a finger at Amir's chest, "Don't you know who I am? I'm Gaia, and mah here unit is among the best Zeon's got. According to the news, I'm one of the finest pilots Zeon has fighting for it. Buzz off, nobody."

The other short member of the trio, a man with a scar over his right eye, piped up, "Yeah, Gaia got six kills already! The average people have got is only like one or two! Know your place!"

Amir shrugged and gave a small smirk, not impressed as he remembered seeing the information about Gaia the other day, "Did he carve a cruiser to pieces or did he pick apart the harmless flies they call Saberfish? I may have swatted two less flies, but at least I've taken down something meaningful."

Emmerich was surprised his ally was being so verbose, but he didn't voice this confusion as the three other pilots moved to go around Amir and grab the nearby trays of food which had been prepared while they were bickering.

"Aww forget you. Come on boys, we got eating to do."

With Gaia's gang gone, Emmerich and Amir each went to get their own food and wordlessly let the situation dissipate. There was no reason to follow after the instigating men, even if Amir wanted to punch Gaia's face in for his smug attitude.

Given the crowded nature of the room the two struggled at first to find seats, but luck was in their fortune as someone who had seen the line incident rose a hand to get their attention.

"Need a table?"

The man offering them room, at what was a half-filled table, was wearing a uniform similar to their own, though a different rank of lieutenant. His hair was white as snow, and his face was quite restrained and no notable emotion seemed to seep through.

Emmerich had a feeling Amir would get along just fine with the man.

The duo joined the table, sitting across from the man as they murmured thanks for his invitation. He seemed to not truly care about such a trivial favor and instead opted to introduce himself while looking between the two men.

"I am Lieutenant Anavel Gato. I am a Royal Guard underneath Dozle Zabi," he paused as he finished observing the two, "I believe I have seen you two in the war reports. Schmitzer's squad if I am not mistaken."

Emmerich could tell that this man was quite perceptive if he was able to piece together who they were despite their minimal coverage compared to other pilots. Still, despite not knowing much of the man's reputation Emmerich had certainly picked up on the man's rank, which signified that he was the best of the best in terms of Zeon's soldiers.

"Wow, you must be really good at piloting then! Got any tips?"

Gato gave a small smirk reminiscent of Amir's moments ago, "Don't stay still. Even one of those outdated Saberfish can prove lethal if you do."

The basic advice deflated Emmerich's mood, though this was mainly because he was guilty of this in their last conflict, "Here I was hoping for some kind of secret technique."

"If you know the basics well enough, you will have no need for anything else in this pitiful war. Zeon has the Federation by its throat after all," Gato let some pride creep into his voice, displaying sincere patriotism as he gripped his hands into fists.

What Gato said was true however. Every report that came in was about how thoroughly they were trouncing the Federation. The propaganda was barely even propaganda anymore but rather statements of fact. The Spacenoids were proving their mettle as superior to that of that of those born of Earth, who those of Zeon would say were "souls weighed down by gravity".

Emmerich glanced around at the joyous hall and the throng of Zeon soldiers comprising it, only to find that the crowd had shifted to form around a trio of pilots…who Amir had been glaring at silently the whole time.

"Yeah, everyone seems in good cheers…" Emmerich sighed as he looked back to his own food and began to dig into it. Those idiots could enjoy popularity for now, but he'd show them in the end. He lowered an arm to the table to pound it lightly, causing a utensil to fly off the table and casually be caught by Amir.

Seeming to sense that tension still remained from the incident in the line, Gato glanced first at Gaia's group and then back to Emmerich and Amir with a smile.

"Don't worry about them. They are having their moment of limelight, but achievement born of recklessness can only last so long."

While his tone was very even and, outside of his pride for Zeon, lacking in range, Gato appeared to be someone the two could respect. Furthermore, given that he was a guard of Dozle Zabi himself, it gave them further comfort that their well-liked superior was in good hands.

Emmerich lifted his drink up and returned the small smile Gato held, "I'd drink to that if I had any alcohol."

Once they were done eating their meal, they gave goodbyes to their new acquaintance, and wished one another fortune on the battlefield.

It was time for the next battle, one that would set the course of the entire war, to begin.

* * *

Schmitzer was waiting for his squad-mates when they got to the hangar, his grey hair shining with all of the lights flashing in the hangar as diagnostic and weapons checks were carried out.

"Are you ready?" the leader asked his wingmen, and he received united nod from each of them.

"Thank you, sir, for…" Amir's voice trailed off as he struggled to verbalize the favor done for them by the Lieutenant after the last mission.

Remembering that he had reassigned his Saberfish kills, Schmitzer shook his head and laughed, "You can pay me back on those later, okay? I thought it'd look better if our squad as a whole did better than just me having all the glory. After all, the Zabis already respect me for my time at the academy. You two still have to earn your place, which you'll be able to surely do in the mission Hepner has the details on."

He turned around and started to head to the Jotun when a thought came to mind and he turned on his heels, nearly colliding with the two pilots following after him.

"Oh, and you two should try and kill different amounts of enemies this time around so I can actually buy whoever did better drinks."

Emmerich and Amir shared a laugh at the man's humor as the Lieutenant turned back around to approach the Jotun, where Lieutenant Hepner was waiting for them all with a series of files on-hand. Once they reached her she handed them out their files, which were continuations of what they had been handed previously.

"Thank you, Hepner," Schmitzer warmly greeted as he took the pile and passed out the information to his men, who began to look over it all while he instead spoke from memory, having already taken a look at the information while he was waiting for the others to finish eating.

"So, we're off shore leave boys! We'll be joining in on lord Gihren's offensive at Side 2, known as Operation British. The goal is to drop an unpopulated colony cylinder on the Federation's main base, Jaburo. We have to get going now or we'll miss out on the action though! Gihren's moving ahead of schedule it seems."

An unpopulated colony cylinder was an oddity, for they were supposed to house millions of people. Even an evacuation would not be so clean as to leave zero people behind…meaning something else had happened. Rumors were spreading of some mobile suit teams having been told to "pacify" or otherwise handle colonies who would side with the Federation instead of their Zeon liberators, only for the tear gas they were told to use to instead turn out to be hidden neurotoxin.

Allegedly, Gihren and his top command were to blame, but at this point few people knew the details as it was not something talked about on the news. A conveniently forgotten atrocity.

The implications dragged down even Amir's spirits…but they were at war, and if dropping this now unoccupied colony on the enemy's base ended the war, then so be it. They could not change what had been done, they could only affect what would come to be.

Continuing to go over the file, Schmitzer brought their attention to the enemy formations. The Federation were projected to bring a strong detachment of cruisers to halt the operation, while their smaller Saberfish would have little impact on the colony itself.

"We'll be taking on the Salamis cruisers so that their heavy fire cannot alter the colony's course. You two will have to handle the actual cruisers while I divert fire away from our Musai. The Federation has reportedly begun to target them so that our Zaku teams are left stranded. Due to my enhanced communicators, coordinating this shouldn't be an issue."

Amir closed his notes and asked a single question of his superior, as the report was vague on the topic, "Sir, how many enemy cruisers shall we expect to encounter?"

"A projected five to seven in the zone we will be deployed to. Don't be careless, and take them out in a way that won't put you in danger. High mobility and close quarters should narrow your risk of being hit by their cannon batteries."

Only Salamis cruisers as their expected foes meant higher stakes…much was expected of them, but this was a team put together by Dozle himself, working together in a miraculous display of civilty with Kycilia. If they had assigned this many targets to be taken out, then Emmerich and Amir would do their best to not disappoint them.

* * *

"Good luck men, and do Zeon proud!"

Their Musai was in a defensive position for the now falling colony. It would fall and fall until it struck the Earth, possibly wiping out the Federation's base in one fell swoop…or possibly being diverted from its projected target by having its mass reduced by gunfire, or even diverted from it ever so slightly. Such an event would lead to the death of untold millions should it strike a populated area.

As such, failure was not an option to those seeking to utilize the tragedy that was the Side 2 massacre. Purpose had to be brought to their sacrifice or…

Emmerich shook his head and stopped thinking about the larger ramifications of the war as his Zaku-II carried him away from the Musai, Amir leading him as they left their ship and Schmitzer behind: one half their force would go ahead and cut off the enemy approach, stalling them, while the other stalled any possible stragglers who dared to interfere with the operation. A myriad of similar battles were about to rage around the large space colony, but if Zeon could only protect it long enough they could see the end of the Federation that day.

Given the speed of their Zakus, it did not take long for sight of the enemy cruisers approaching from other battlefields to halt this sudden phenomenon that would become known as a colony drop.

"You get half, I'll get half?" Emmerich asked his partner over the radio. Five cruisers were in sight, and Emmerich was betting a sixth would join the battle at some point given how desperate the Federation was likely to be.

He did not receive agreement but rather an object refusal to enact that plan as Amir put his Zaku-I on full throttle, "Focus them down one at a time."

The cruisers opened fire on the approaching two Zakus before Emmerich could argue his point, with Amir's forward position forcing him to adopt his partner's plan.

"Fine, fine."

Amir was the primary focus on the Federation gunfire, though he managed to avoid it all with uncanny dodging skill resulting from the reflexes that made Amir a prime candidate for flying a Zaku in the first place. While Emmerich had gotten to his position due to mechanical expertise, Amir had no such background and was trained solely for the purpose of removing the enemies Zeon.

With his focus fully on dodging, Amir did not even try to fire back at the cruisers firing at him with their various cannons. A single good hit from one of them could destroy his Zaku-I, so he had to be cautious and attack only when he was not under threat of being actually hit.

The bridge of the first cruiser found an axe buried inside of it with all of the momentum of a charging Zaku, though Amir jerked his controls so that his Zaku would twist and swivel with the weapon as he embedded it in the enemy. This allowed him to avoid more of the laser blasts and bullets headed his way, as the Federation ships this time seemed to not be as hesitant to fire towards their own allies. The ship Amir had struck began to crumble as friendly fire tore into it in a deadly barrage.

With their attention focused on Amir, the next closest Federation ship was repaid for its friendly fire by three rockets raining down on it in rapid succession and tearing through its hull, destroying not only its weapon batteries but nearly severing the entire ship in two.

"Did you see that?!" Emmerich boasted as the Federation ship continued to fall apart from residual damage caused from his attacks. Unfortunately, he did not receive much affirmation from Amir, who had used the explosion of the second ship as cover to rush forward and approach their third target.

Emmerich cursed as he loaded his weapon, "Of course you did…freaking purple ninja…"

His complaints were cut off when laserfire struck his Zaku's primary arm and tore through its joint and through part of his weapon. The weapon itself exploded as its payload was torn into by the laserfire, and the resulting damage ruined what was left of the limb.

The offending ship, the third cruiser in their sights, was not as efficiently slain as the first. Amir hacked wildly away first at the cannon that shot his partner and then moved onwards to hack at its fuselage.

Disarmed and shaken, Emmerich fought through the pain of having been thrown around in his cockpit to join Amir in the middle of the firefight: he still had a Heat Hawk, and if he could he'd help out.

Amir turned around to see that Emmerich had sliced a cannon pointing directly at the purple Zaku-I in half, quite the close call given that a shot from behind could set off the Zaku's reactor. Rather than verbalizing any thanks he jumped towards Emmerich's suit and shoved it forcefully while also twisting his own Zaku.

The ship they were on fell victim similar to the first to friendly gunfire, as the final two cruisers had taken the opportunity to shoot down the Zakus as they stood still. A shot that would have hit Emmerich was avoided due to Amir's interference, but a blast striking just below where Amir's suit floated caused an detonation that took with it one and a half of Amir's Zaku's legs.

Not finished yet, the two jumped away from the now scuttled ship as it entered its death throes. While under the power of gravity the Zaku would require its legs, they were in space and so Amir was only put off by how this altered the weight of his suit.

Despite the seeming handicap, Amir was able to struggle with the controls until he could steer the Zaku correctly towards the fourth Salamis Cruiser. It had begun to track Emmerich's mobile suit and thus was vulnerable to the sudden appearance of Amir's Mobile suit, which grabbed hold of one of its laser cannons.

Emmerich found himself laughing as the ship's cannon fired not at him, but rather at the other enemy ship. Apparently the forcible twist Amir had put it through damaged it to the point it was firing continuously and it began to pelt the other ship with powerful blasts.

As this happened Emmerich finally reached his target destination: the giant enemy ship's bridge, at which he took a swipe underneath. The bridge was extended from the main body in a perpendicular fashion, and his Heat Hawk did a superb job at carving into the base between the two pieces.

While each pilot had previously been growing proud of their performances, the moment their radios crackled their mood dipped into anxiety.

"Augh, damnit! Where did all of these reinforcements come from?"

It was Schmitzer, and a quick look from Amir revealed that in the distance where they had left the Lieutenant there was a swarm of Saberfish assaulting him and the Musai, along with two Magellan class battlecruisers, vehicles far more capable than the Salamis class.

There should have been Saberfish assisting these cruisers, but they had instead joined an infiltration force and were trying to break through!

As if he could sense how both Emmerich and Amir were ready to leave their targets to come back and assist him, he called out a stern warning to them.

"Stay on target soldiers! This war can end tomorrow if we succeed this mission!"

Schmitzer's words in mind, Amir propelled himself from the fourth cruiser and towards the heavily damaged fifth. It had begun to try and turn and run, but damage caused by the forceful friendly fire rendered its propulsion to a limp-like state.

Firing his weapon into the retreating craft's engines, Amir watched coolly as the Federation vessel was engulfed in its own flames. By this time Emmerich had finished dissecting the fourth cruiser, leaving its command bridge adrift and sending its systems into chaos.

Their Zakus looked one another in the eye and without a word they came to a decision: hauling back to their own Musai and Schmitzer, even if it meant engaging overwhelming enemy forces.

When the final cruiser was finished the transmission line to Schmitzer had cut off: given that Schmitzer's Zaku was a Command model, it had powerful communications capabilities, so either the Zaku was destroyed or it was so heavily damaged it could no longer utilize those systems.

Rushing towards the second battlefield, both Amir and Emmerich found themselves shocked by the graveyard of wreckage around them. The remains of at least twenty Saberfish and one of the Magellan cruisers littered the area, while possibly more Saberfish were just reduced to nothing.

Their team leader had been busy while they were away: it probably started with a couple Saberfish before he was overwhelmed.

Speaking of which, the Lieutenant's Zaku was in little better shape than the carnage surrounding it. One arm remained, its body was chipped away at by gunfire, and its legs were completely damaged. The Zaku's blue head had been partially torn, but its red mono-eye remained.

The barely held together Zaku slowly moved itself to turn and face what Amir and Emmerich noticed was the final two groups of Saberfish. His rifle shot at the closer formation of them, though the shots were erratic and barely came close to their marks. Despite this, the closest of the Saberfish, marked differently as if to denote some sort of special status, took the effort to dodge the gunfire as if to prove a point before swooping in and unleashing a missile payload on the Zaku's fuselage.

Amir tossed his rifle to Emmerich as they finally reached the battlezone, but he did not slow as he did this: he instead prepared his axe and moved to close in on Schmitzer's location.

Not knowing if he was alive or not was one worry, but Schmitzer was nearby the heavily damaged Musai, which was still slugging it out with the second Magellan. M'Quve had been maneuvering his ship well enough to outdo his opponents, but despite his superior skills he could only manage so much when faced with two enemy ships of superior power. By getting in close Amir hoped to protect both by dissuading the Saberfish and also perhaps even getting an opportunity to force the broken Zaku into the Musai's hanger bay where the possibly alive Schmitzer could receive medical attention.

Emmerich placed his Heat Hawk back on its charge rack and grabbed the weapon provided for him. Enraged by the sight of his defeated leader, he began to track to moving Saberfish squadrons with it. Without hesitation, and by leading where he thought they would go, the calculating Emmerich gunned down five of the remaining eight Saberfish before they could even consider him a threat.

Two of the others tried to avoid the explosions that had been their wingmates as well as the hail of gunfire following them, but waiting for them was an axe to the cockpit, each ship deftly cut down by Amir's quite-mobile Zaku.

This left one Saberfish left, the seeming ace, and it swept around to take another attack run at the Zakus. Amir kept his Zaku in the path of the Saberfish as it shot its machine guns at him, not willing to let it harm the Schmitzer's vulnerable Zaku.

Also trying to fire upon the immobile Zakus was the Magellan cruiser, which thought itself the victor of its conflict already given the Musai's damaged frame. Unfortunately for it, the Musai made a sweeping movement to catch the gunfire with its own hull, protecting both mobile suits while also unleashing a full salvo at the Magellan. Unlike the unfocused Magellan shots, the Musai had focused all its firepower on one point and broke through the Magellan's center, cutting it like a knife through warm butter.

The movement of the Musai exposed its hangar to Amir, who moved to grab Schmitzer and force him onboard. This required him to turn his back to the approaching ace Saberfish, who let loose a salvo of missiles…

…which promptly detonated as Emmerich shot a derelict Saberfish husk, causing it to explode and take the missiles with it as they passed into its flame.

Ceding defeat, the Saberfish turned tail and ran, unable to continue this battle any further given the losses incurred.

With Schmitzer's irresponsive suit on board the Musai, Amir and Emmerich each took a look to see Side 2 as its descent continued.

The colony was falling…

"—the damn Federation has altered—"

Emmerich lowered his head as he shut his radio off. He was close enough to other Zeon forces to pick up their broadcasts, and despite everything they had thrown into this, Operation: British had failed.

The colony would drop not on the Federation's base, but some other hapless territory on Earth.

The sight of an entire colony that once housed millions falling down through Earth's atmosphere was a beautiful sight to behold…and a horrible one that both Amir and Emmerich forced themselves to watch.

They had done their best, but even they could not stem the tide of the entire battle. And this was the price of Zeon's collective failure. For the first time since the war began, Zeon felt its invincible tide halt.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading, and please leave your thoughts in the review section below, and please follow/favorite the story if you enjoyed!**_


	4. Fallout and Friendly Faces

After returning to their room exhausted from the previous battle, the pilots woke to find that their Musai had returned to Zeon and was beginning to dock. They felt the Musai shifting to approach the bay, and not long after a soft knock on the door let them know that Lieutenant Hepner has once again been sent to fetch them.

This time however the quiet woman did not even wait for one to answer the door before she murmured, "Captain M'Quve has requested you both come to the bridge."

Her voice was even softer than Amir and Emmerich remembered, and the two could guess why. Unlike the two men who had years of experience and training to help them repress their feelings of pain, Hepner had just graduated from the academy and was thrust into war and loss.

When they had returned to the Musai they had learned that in the course of the battle many of the staff aboard the craft had been wounded or even killed by powerful hits taken from the Magellans. Hepner had been aboard when she saw the staff near her torn apart from a powerful hit, only barely surviving the experience by being on the other side of an airlock when it shut to prevent a complete air leak.

Not only that, but when the pilots had returned from the battle they had done so with damage of their own. Lieutenant Schmitzer had been in critical condition because of shrapnel wounds, wounds that were made worse when he was forcibly moved into the Musai, though he would have died from their original state had he not been treated so quickly. As it was, he was unconscious and being treated, left nearly dead as those who respected him like Hepner, Emmerich, and Amir all worried in their own way about if he would get better at all.

Amir was the faster one of the two soldiers, and so he reached the door first, opening it to find that Hepner was still standing there, though her head was hanging down and her eyes were glued to the floor.

Having been asleep and thus out of the loop, Amir decided to ask the obvious question.

"How is he?"

Hepner turned her head a little, looking in the direction of where Schmitzer was receiving medical treatment.

"I don't know how the Lieutenant is doing. They haven't let me in to see him yet."

While not a personable kind of guy, Amir did recognize the pain displayed on her face and he placed a hand on her shoulder in understanding right before moving past her and leaving.

"He'll be okay."

Emmerich was right behind him and was in time to catch the look of surprise of the fresh recruit. Both he and Amir had said little since they returned outside of learning about how the operation went and shouting to get medical attention for their squad leader.

Yes, even the stoic Amir was shouting, a sign that he had come to like and respect their commander.

The way Operation British ended was a complete failure. The fallen colony did not collide with Jaburo, the Federation's main base, as intended, but rather it connected with Australia on the opposite side of the world given the huge deviation in its flight path the Federation managed to achieve. Millions were likely dead, though the exact details were not known by Amir or Emmerich, who were each infuriated by the mission's failure.

Amir in particular blamed Gihren for the mission not going as planned: he could have waited and dropped the colony when the Federation was not fighting back, and now millions of innocents had been sacrificed for nothing. Soldiers had been wasted defending when they should have been pressing the offensive.

As the pilots reached and entered the bridge they saw that M'Quve was already turned towards them, having been waiting for their arrival as Hepner indicated previously. He nodded to the men before turning to the dock that the helmsmen were trying to land the Jotun in.

"Gentlemen," he verbally greeted the Lieutenants, his voice calm despite the heavy damage visible in the bridge. He must have been through quite a lot, much like they had, but his personality was such that he was not letting it effect him.

The soldiers saluted him and kept silent, waiting for an order to be given before speaking. He had asked for them for a reason…though it would not be one either expected.

The blue haired man in formal clothing seemingly from the 17th century AD nodded to the men and gave the smallest of smiles, "You are free to do as you please while we are docked. Admiral Dozle was quite pleased with your performance, though we are grounded until our repairs are complete and we know what the Lieutenant's condition will be. Express orders of Lady Kycilia herself."

Emmerich found himself stunned by the gracious leave just granted, but something else took precedent in his mind, "Sir, if I may ask, how is the Lieutenant?"

M'Quve's expression became neutral as he mewled over the question a moment, "Lieutenant Schmitzer will be brought to the hospital at the base we dock at. His condition has stabilized for now, but I understand they still have work to do in securing his life."

M'Quve glanced to the damage in the Musai's bridge and sighed. Something was weighing heavily on his mind as he spoke to his pilots.

"If I had to assume, we will be sidelined for a sizeable portion of this remaining month, if the war even lasts that long. We have not the resources to readily fix such heavy damage in any short time, nor do we have spare ships to use. Lord Gihren and Admiral Dozle have moved all available resources and forces towards the next offensive front, the Federation base Loum where the remainders of their fleet clings on."

This said, M'Quve turned back to the soldiers and flicked a hand indifferently.

"You are dismissed. Do contact me if you have anything of importance to report. Otherwise, recover as Lady Kycilia is allowing you to. Her graciousness is not to be taken lightly."

* * *

It took some time for Emmerich and Amir to fill out their reports about the mission, but each had decided to do so before leaving the base because they wanted to have one less thing keeping them from enjoying their shore leave.

Once finished, they spared no time in rushing to the military hospital, even opting to leave their personal belongings they would need to move to the barracks instead on the Musai so that they could see for themselves just how the man was faring.

As to be expected, the hospital was full of worried families waiting to go in and see their wounded husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. In the crowded waiting room the duo spotted a familiar head of red hair. Hepner was waiting patiently to be allowed in, no doubt to see the Lieutenant.

Despite her seeming shell shock, Hepner was attentive enough to see the two men approach and she greeted them with a small nod. Without them even asking, she knew what they had on their minds given what Amir had said earlier.

"They've started working on the Lieutenant. They say he should be fine, but they're worried about his spine," she paused and grimaced, "He might not be able to walk, let alone pilot a mobile suit."

The normally talkative Emmerich was at a loss for words. This was war, after all, and he was just as fresh to frontline combat as Hepner: he just had more military experience overall to help deal with the overall shock.

With no-one speaking, Hepner continued on.

"I…I've never seen anything like this before. All those people wounded and dead…"

Emmerich nodded to Amir before taking one of the few open seats in the hospital. Amir followed suit, and they joined Hepner in waiting.

* * *

When the doctors finally finished operating on Schmitzer the three people waiting to see him were not allowed in, for he had other company who took precedence: Rear Admiral Kycilia Zabi and M'Quve were let in before them, though the visit was short and Kycilia soon left the room and approached the three seated soldiers waiting.

She ignored Hepner as Kycilia, not wearing the purple facemask and silver helmet she was known for, narrowed her maroon eyes on Emmerich and Amir.

"You two. You are Lieutenant Schmitzer's men, are you not?"

Emmerich and Amir each stood up and saluted her instinctively while letting out a quick "Yes My Lady", surprised by her sudden approach but also not wanting to make fools of themselves. The woman had a cold aura to her, the exact opposite of Dozle's in fact, and while the hospital was not warm beforehand each pilot had to suppress a shiver as their Princess looked them over with her narrowed eyes.

The optical interrogation ended after only a moment, however, though it did not feel like it ended too soon to those on the receiving end. Kycilia's gaunt face softened as she spoke up again.

"I am grateful for your efforts in this recent conflict. I only wish you could have been deployed earlier, so my brother's mission could have at least been a success in spite of what happened to your lieutenant. His wounds were in vain."

Amir shared her sentiment, but her cool demeanor still was off-putting for the man. It was the way he was himself, but that did little to make him trust her.

Emmerich, for his part, was too scared to talk and say something stupid, and so he kept quiet outside of a weak "Thank you, My Lady".

Seemingly fine with the complete subservience demonstrated, Kycilia continued, "He saved the Musai, and my right hand man. And you two in turn saved them all by damaging the remaining enemy units after first destroying five Salamis cruisers on your own. Your record is impressive, and you both will be rewarded for your work, as will the Lieutenant."

This said, Kycilia turned to leave, her dark cape flowing behind her.

"I have a war to win. Keep up the good work soldiers," without even turning, she addressed her subordinate who had been meekly standing behind her the entire time, "M'Quve, write their promotion papers up with my stamp of approval when you have the time."

It was quiet, but Emmerich could swear he heard her also say under her breath, "Unlike some, they succeeded."

She departed swiftly, with M'Quve following after her though not before giving a nod to the pilots. Emmerich found himself almost pitying the ruthless man for having to serve under someone so…not-Dozle.

After M'Quve and Kycilia departed, as if his ears were ringing Dozle arrived at the same location. While Emmerich was unsure about Kycilia being there to visit Schmitzer, he could understand why Dozle was here: he was visiting many troops, and had been noticeable earlier amongst the crowded facility due to his towering height.

After a brief look inside the room where Schmitzer lay resting, Dozle appeared ready to leave, though his face was one of both grief and anger. It then came to Emmerich's mind that Schmitzer had said something about already being in the good graces of the Zabis, and Schmitzer's file had said that he had been an instructor at the military academy.

While he had not met the man there himself, Emmerich could understand why perhaps even the coldhearted Kycilia had come by: he had been a mentor to their family as they went through the school. Given the man's serious but kind personality, Emmerich had little doubt that the man treated them not just as royalty, but as his pupils, and such an earnest personality was likely welcomed by even Kycilia.

While Dozle stood there Hepner took the opportunity to slip past the giant and go inside the room, leaving Amir and Emmerich with their Vice-Admiral, who began to speak aloud as if to vent about what he saw inside Schmitzer's room, "A good man and teacher. I will see to it that the Federation pays for this personally."

His fists clenched in anger before he let the go and he looked over to the pilots he knew.

"I know how you feel, sir. We can only hope now that he recovers…" Emmerich offered in response. Dozle seemed to appreciate it given how he then nodded and seemed to cool down, at least in terms of his tone.

"I would go out there and beat them with my own Zaku if I were not confined to my desk handling the army of logistical issues that accompany a war, with permissions and resources getting in the way. If only my plate could be less full."

His fists uncurled and he shook his head a moment before turning and facing the pilots again, "I really must go, but please stop by my office and update me about his condition sometime, okay?"

Amir nodded and saluted the man, "As you wish, sir. As soon as we know more we will let you know."

Dozle smiled for the first time in hours, "Thank you. I had hoped to build a bridge between my sister and I with this unit, but that may not come to be now that her favorite academy instructor is hospitalized. Still, it is not your fault, so do not blame yourselves. There is nothing you could have done, and I am proud of your own accomplishments."

* * *

Once Dozle left, Amir and Emmerich went to go see Schmitzer, but were saddened to see that he was not yet awake. They left Hepner there at the hospital, the young woman insisting on staying to look after her commanding officer, when they decided it was about time to start easing into their "leave". Since their ship could not take flight, they would be grounded for awhile and need to adjust to life back on Side 3 again.

When they returned to their Musai they were met with the sight of someone unfamiliar looking around the edge of the vehicle as if he needed someone to talk to. Approaching, they could see that the man had military length, dark blue hair and held a serious gaze as he continued to look for someone to help him with whatever was wrong. However, given that Hepner was visiting the Lieutenant and everyone else was working inside the Musai to fix its systems he has no-one to approach.

Emmerich waved casually to the man to catch his attention, "Hey there man, what do you need?"

The man smiled politely and saluted the Lieutenants, his uniform revealing him to be an officer just like them, "Do you have any idea where I may find Lieutenant Schmitzer?"

That deflated Emmerich's mood quickly, having just nearly recovered from the hospital visit where he not only had to see his superior in a damaged state, but hear the cries and yells of pain from the wounded and dying present there, "He's…in the hospital. Severe spinal injury, possibly paralyzed. We're his wingmates, Lieutenants Emmerich and Hiyento."

The blue haired man appeared shocked by the news, but he recovered from it quickly, "Oh, I am sorry to hear about your superior officer. I heard one of his pilots had been wounded and would be unable to pilot a mobile suit, but I didn't know it was him."

He offered a hand to them and let out a sigh, "I am Lieutenant Roher. I had intended to put in papers to transfer to join this unit, but I may hold off now that the Lieutenant is out of commission. I wish him a speedy recovery, and you two the best of luck."

Emmerich took the man's hand and shook it, "Well, I wish you luck in any case, Lieutenant Roher."

Amir remembered Roher as one of the many other pilots receiving acclaim on the ZeoNet channel. While it was unfortunate this may preclude their working together, Amir at least was glad that Roher was not anything like that asshole Gaia.

They parted on good terms with the pilot before going and getting their things at the Musai. Amir was done packing sooner and left without Emmerich, not having a real need to stay glued to the other man's side. Once Emmerich had finished too he decided to put his things away in the normal barracks before heading out into Side 3 and experiencing some everyday life again to get his mind off the battles he had narrowly survived these past days.

On his way through the base he bumped into what seemed to be a fresh recruit, who in turn stumbled backward before falling down. The man quickly jumped to his feet and saluted Emmerich, the young soldier's face red in embarrassment as his blonde hair shone underneath one of the hallway's lights.

"Sorry! Ensign Bernard Wiseman at your service!"

"Don't worry about it, I was a bit distracted, so it's as much my fault as yours," Emmerich laughed, not really minding the incident at all, "Ensign, eh? You sign up a bit late for this war?" he joked.

Bernie rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "I'm a new trainee, though my training won't be over until after the war I bet."

"Well, then you won't have to go home in a box at least, am I right?" Emmerich continued to joke, though it only made the poor Ensign nervous.

"I hope so at least. Anyways, sorry for getting in your way, but I got to get going now so I can get some practice in on the simulators!" Bernie used a finger to point towards the area of the base where mobile suit practice was done. He was likely an aspiring pilot, and Emmerich hoped for the young man's sake he never would have to go off to war.

Another reason to finish it as soon as possible…though Emmerich was unsure if he would get to contribute to that, one way or the other. While Operation British had been a failure, the Federation was still reeling from the Zeon onslaught.

Could they just surrender already?

* * *

After Amir departed from Emmerich and put his things away, he decided to use the first part of his free time to visit the base's gym. He was agile and dexterous, but he could always use a good workout to improve himself further.

The sole other person at the gym when he visited was the white haired soldier he had previously met in the Mess Hall, Anavel Gato. Amir got the feeling that the vacant gym was a result of how thoroughly Zeon had been crushing the Federation, but Anavel apparently was not the type to assume anything. If there was still a war to fight, he would prepare himself for it.

Noticing that he had company, Gato turned from the machine he was working on.

"Oh, it's you," he stops his current exercise and gives a military salute which Amir returns.

This formality done, he began to resume his workout all the while continuing to speak to Amir, "How is Lieutenant Schmitzer doing? The news reports say it took an army of Saberfish to take him down. I wouldn't mind facing a man with that kind of skill myself."

Amir smirked, glad that his superior officer was being hailed as a hero of sorts by the media already, "I must say I was impressed by how well he performed. I only wish he hadn't been so outnumbered, but such is our fate in this war."

"You are right. We must stay vigilant and not allow any weakness if we are to finish this war decisively," Gato gave the other man a small smile, "If you wish. I will be stationed here in the next few days, and your company may prove welcome. Few others are using this time wisely. Fools think the battle is already won."

"I could use a spotter anyways," Amir smirked, though he was glad at least that someone else was taking this whole war thing seriously.

* * *

People would not stop bumping into Emmerich it seemed, as even when he left to go to the nearest park he felt something collide with one of his legs. Like with Bernie he did not get knocked over himself, but the other person did given Emmerich's toughness.

Looking down, Emmerich saw that a young girl in a pink shirt and aqua overalls had been the one to collide with him this time. The girl was rubbing the part of her face where she had crashed into him but was not crying fortunately, though before Emmerich could ask how she was doing a man's voice cut him off.

"I'm so sorry, please excuse her. Marie's so young she doesn't look where she's going."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry as well for not looking down," Emmerich helped the man help the young girl up, at which point she moved to hide behind her father's leg.

With a tanner complexion than Marie's that reminded Emmerich almost of Amir's, the man introduced himself upon noticing Emmerich's military uniform, "I am Lieutenant Zinnerman, serving under Captain Delaz. My unit was wiped out in a nuclear explosion at Side 2, so I'm here on leave until we can put together another full team."

"I'm Lieutenant Emmerich, serving under Lieutenant Schmitzer and Captain M'Quve. It's a pleasure to meet you," Emmerich gave the man a beaming smile. Zinnerman appeared to be quite the doting father if he was already spending time with his young daughter and not just resting.

Finding that he liked this man, Emmerich extended a hand to him to shake which Zinnerman took, "You know, Lieutenant, my ship the Jotun was damaged and we lost some crew members. If you want, we could probably all go out sooner if you were to be reassigned to our unity."

Zinnerman considered it for a moment before looking down at his daughter and then back up to Emmerich, his face turning into a sad smile, "Thank you, but I am in no hurry to leave. You only get to see your kids grow up once after all."

"I understand—" Emmerich started, but was cut off by the man's young daughter running from behind the man's leg out into the park, where she had caught sight of a puppy.

Zinnerman turned to run after her, his stocky frame not truly built for running, "Marie!—it was nice meeting you!" he called back to Emmerich as he ran off, having trouble keeping up with his energetic daughter.

* * *

After some time spent idly considering the war and his part in it at the park, Emmerich decided to go back to the barracks and see if he could find Amir. Fortunately for him he did not have to wander far to encounter the man, as Amir had gone for a run to keep up his speed and endurance and was approaching the park anyways. Once they reconnected, the two filled one another in on what they had been up to and decided to head to the bar nearby their base to fully catch up.

Passing by the base itself, the two are interrupted in their chat by the sight of a young brown haired woman who did not appear to know where she was going. She had features that reminded Emmerich of what he had seen growing up in the Japanese immigrant part of Side 3, while Amir noticed what he would consider American features in her.

In any case, she was not a native, they could each sense that much, which meant she was from the Federation…but appeared to merely be a civilian. As such they decided it best to ignore her as she milled around by the exit of the base. No-one seemed to be paying her much mind and the soldiers coming in and out of the base she approached brushed her off like Amir and Emmerich intended to.

That was, at least, until she jogged over in front of their path and held her arms out to stop them. She had recognized something about them and as such wanted to flag them down, especially since no-one else would speak with her.

"Excuse me, may I ask you some questions?"

Amir nudged Emmerich, who had stopped moving in response to the Federation woman's approach, "Just keep walking."

Emmerich, instead of joining Amir in continuing to walk on, instead grabbed the man by the sleeve to stop him. Whoever this was, they had caught his interest, and his curiosity about why a Federation citizen was visiting Side 3 of all places mere days into the war was nagging at Emmerich's mind. How did she even manage to get here? Was she here by chance when the war happened, or did she sneak in?

The woman smiled when she realized she was finally being given the time of day, "Thank you. I am a Federation reporter and I want to learn more about the other side of the war. I promise I won't take too much of your time."

Finally giving in to the nagging part of his brain, Emmerich sighed and gestured to the woman.

"Alright, I'll bite. What's an Earth Federation reporter doing here, miss…"

She extended a hand to him, and Emmerich inwardly groaned as he had to shake yet another hand that day. Still, he was not one to be impolite, so he took her hand and was surprised by the strong grip.

"Crossroad. Kinue Crossroad of the Japanese News Network. And thank you," the reporter introduced herself before returning to the topic, "I'm here to speak with Zeon citizens to understand Zeon's perspective about the war. I thought it would be better to talk to everyday people and soldiers rather than politicians and their rhetoric."

Amir scoffed and shot her a dark glance as he crossed his arms defensively, "So you can misrepresent us? No thanks."

Miss Crossroad shook her head no, not very surprised by his hostility but also put off by it, "Not at all. I'm here to try and understand a side of this conflict that is not being represented in the media back on Earth."

Seeing that Amir might scare her off when she seemed to actually be open-minded, Emmerich shot the other man a serious look, "You were saying, Miss Crossroad?"

Kinue appreciated the support and so resumed her reason for talking to them, "Thank you. So, if I may ask, what has the conflict been like in your eyes? What are your goals in fighting? I recognize you two as two of the pilots featured on ZeoNet quite prominently."

So they were on the news still? Emmerich would have let out a fist pump or other form of excitement if he was not trying his best to be straight faced with this Federation aligned reporter.

His personal feelings of triumph put aside, Emmerich paused a moment to think. What has the conflict been like? Fortunately he had been just thinking about this topic during his walk in the park to some degree, and so he spoke smoothly as he responded to the reporter.

"I can only speak for myself, but at the same time I know I am fighting for the same reason as many others in Zeon: we are fighting for our families. We're fighting for our people, those in space, to have freedom. Underneath the Federation we are treated as second-class citizens, but Zeon strives to save us from such subjugation. We'll fight to free ourselves, even if it means we have to lash out against the Federation forces in space. We won't abide by their tyrannical rule."

His words were not met with the scoffs and amusement he expected from the woman, who instead of dismissing his claims seemed to actually be interested in them as she scribbled notes down on a pad she had brought with her.

One question down, Kinue continued on as she finished her notes from the last one, "With news of the recent Colony drop and all the people it killed in Australia, how much do you believe in your commander Gihren Zabi, who ordered it after having been rumored to have tricked innocent pilots into killing its inhabitants with neurotoxin?"

Amir shot Emmerich a look saying "don't screw this up", causing Emmerich to roll his eyes. Of course he was going to ask that this seemingly nice woman not tell anyone that he specifically said what he was about to say. What did Amir think he was, naïve?

"Don't say I said this, but those tragedies are not what we are fighting for. We entered into this conflict knowing we would be disadvantaged numerically, but we also did not know that millions of civilians would die due to the decisions of some of our leaders. I wish there was a way for such acts of war could be divorced from our cause, but I am afraid now many will blame us all for the actions of a few."

While Amir was irritated that Emmerich's statement could be tied to them if the reporter decided to be evil, he had to say he was supportive of the mans statement itself…but he still was pissed that if anyone found this out it could be traced to them, and they could become two on the chopping block of Gihren's political enemies.

Also seemingly in agreement of Emmerich was the reporter herself, who was smiling genuinely as she finished her second page of notes, "Is there anything else you would like to say?"

Emmerich shrugged, not really ready for a more open ended question, "Perhaps only that I hope that this war ends soon, and that the Federation will give up its futile struggle. The longer they try to keep Spacenoids under their grip, the more families will lose their loved ones. Neither side wants that, at least I hope neither does."

Once she was finished Kinue put her notes away and instead took a wallet out of her pocket. As she opened it Emmerich caught sight of a younger version of herself standing next to what appeared to be a young boy, likely a brother, and a man who must be their father.

Emmerich realized he ought to keep something like that with him too…it would be a nice keepsake. It also made him realize that, much as she had proven thus far, that just because they belonged to completely opposed nations did not mean that she was a monster, just as she had seemingly hoped to prove to her own people by interviewing normal citizens from Zeon.

If the people in charge of their nations could be more like this, Emmerich could have hope for the future…but he was just a lowly soldier, and she was just a reporter who probably would get fired if she said anything pro-Zeon.

Having finished taking something out of her wallet, miss Crossroad handed Emmerich a businesscard, "Thank you for your time. I am going to be trying to complete my story, but here is my contact information if you want to get in touch."

Emmerich smiled as he took the card and pocketed it, "Well, thank you for coming here and being willing to have an open mind. I hope you won't quote me though…some people might not like that."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't if you don't want me to. We don't want you joining the Deikun supporters Gihren executed, now do we?"

Emmerich laughed as he realized that he and Amir were not alone in hating Gihren.

"You're alright, Miss Crossroad. Take care of yourself, you hear?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading! This was my favorite chapter thus far because of all our fun little references. Hope you enjoyed, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below!**_

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	5. Zeon's Idols

_**A/N: Here is where things start going off the rails a bit...not fully yet, but getting there. I hope you enjoy, and please leave your thoughts in the reviews below! It'd be really nice to finally get a review after all.**_ _ **Hope you enjoy, and hope to hear what you have to think!**_

* * *

Days go by without a word concerning redeployment for Emmerich and Amir, while reports each day come in telling the tale of how much the Zeon forces were demolishing their opposition. The men began to fear in a way that the war would be over before they could get back to it, that all the glory would be gone.

After the two spent a morning working out along with Gato, they decided to get an early brunch before seeing their commanding officer, who ought to have recovered in some form by then. On the way out of the base though they heard a playful shout from behind and the sound of soldier boots rushing up to them.

"Hey, it's Sandman!"

The nickname did not ring a bell for either Emmerich or Amir, who turned around to find some soldiers they did not recognize greeting them and chummily brushing up next to the duo. Emmerich found himself having strong arms being brought around him as if to hug him, while Amir watched this with confusion and attempted to move out of the way only to find himself bumping into one of the men.

Emmerich tilted his head, "Sandman? Sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

The soldier gripping him in a hug of sorts laughed and squeezed him even tighter, possessing an overall size advantage over the lankier Emmerich, "Yeah, Sandman! When the Feddies see you they know their time is up."

It was soon explained to Emmerich that footage of him fighting the Federation forces had been leaked to a news source, and that his tan mobile suit was gaining attention, earning his title due to the suit's coloration.

Another man in the small group of soldiers punched Amir's arm playfully, receiving a glare in return, "Sandman and the Purple Hurricane are some of Zeon's top aces right now!"

Apparently, Amir realized, the footage including Emmerich had included him too…and that his high-speed maneuvers had not been lost of whoever was watching them.

It did not take long for the group to disperse, but it felt good for the two pilots to have earned recognition even if they hadn't been able to actively join the war effort for days.

Fortunately, this random stop had anther effect: it gave someone else on the base the time to notice Amir and approach him.

"Hey Amir, long time no see!"

An old friend of Amir's had approached the two of them and had quickly thrown an arm around him, pulling him in to a manly embrace. Unlike the random soldier touching him, Amir actually took this in stride and smiled at his old friend.

"Hey Jordan."

Jordan Turner, a pilot who Amir had known since his time at the academy. Jordan grew up on Side 3 and joined the Zeon Military Academy at age 16. His father was a prominent Zeon political figure, and had ties to the Zabi family. Two years after he joined the Academy, a new freshman, Amir Hiyento, showed promising talent and Jordan took notice of him. While Amir was quite the introvert, Jordan's overwhelming personality quickly broke through Amir's personal barrier. They were good friends throughout Jordan's final two years at the Academy; where Jordan graduated near the top of his class and moved on to serve in the military. After several months, Jordan was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He had enough influence to recruit a newly graduated Amir to serve aboard the same ship. Jordan spent his years after the Academy as a helmsman on several Musai-class warships.

Jordan was very outgoing, and always seemed to have a smile on his face. He could be serious when required of him, but he always would find a way of lightening the mood. He excelled in tactics and aviation at the Academy, and utilized these skills when piloting anything from aircraft to warships.

Not about to let Amir's terse response dim his mood, Jordan decided to be the more talkative…as always, "How have you been?"

Amir took a moment to explain his battles in the war to his friend, all the while his partner Emmerich looked on in amusement. Seeing Amir open up about anything was interesting to him since he had not been very successful on that front yet.

Once Amir finished his short recounting of events, Jordan slapped him on the back playfully, "That's good to hear, though I'm sorry about your boss. I don't know if you've heard, but I've been assigned to Lord Garma's Musai! I am serving as his right hand onboard it now."

That surprised Emmerich and Amir both, though the former more-so than the latter given that Emmerich was not as closely related to the Zabi family as Amir was. Amir had his time with Dozle at the academy, and knew of Jordan's family connections, but even still Amir was surprised Jordan was so closely tied to one of the Zabis.

Seeing their surprise, Jordan laughed, "My dad mentioned my name at a dinner party that Lord Garma was attending, and here I am! The Zabis seem to place power in those they know they can trust."

Amir nodded, "You'll serve him well. How is he as a commanding officer?"

"Lord Garma's even newer to this kind of thing than most, but he's acclimating well I would say. He seems like he wants to prove himself which is never really a bad thing," Jordan stroked his chin by removing his arm from around Amir, "If I had to criticize our glorious and esteemed Prince for anything, it'd be how darn lonely he seems. He's a fish out of water, and I doubt he's the most socially adjusted even if he's got the charisma to cover for it. I mean, who would be when they grow up as a Prince? Least he's not spoiled rotten."

Garma was Zeon's closest figure to an idol. Of all the Zabis, the youngest was by far the most popular, and while Gihren rallied the people, it was Garma that was seen as the face of Zeon's next generation. Known for kindness and possessing a captivating aura, the prince was known for both his personality as well as his stunning looks. A pretty boy through and through, Garma was even more beloved by the population for attending the military academy like his brother Dozle before him. The people of Zeon were sure that Garma, thought by some to be the one Degwin Zabi wanted to replace him, would do so with political cunning, the intelligence his family was all known for, and military savvy to protect them all.

With the weight of the Zeon world placed upon his shoulders, Amir could buy that perhaps Garma was eager to prove himself and lonely in a world of people who would see him as some kind of idol and prince rather than companion. Fortunately, the pilot who was beginning to make a name for himself named Char Aznable had been there for Garma during the academy years to Amir's knowledge.

In any case, Amir felt confident and secure in knowing that his friend would be looking after Garma in a way. The young prince had a lot to learn still if he was to become the great leader everyone expected him to be, having not grown up as an active participant in the turmoil Zeon struggled through that led his family to power unlike Gihren and Kycilia.

As if finally realizing that someone else was there, Jordan turned to Emmerich and offered him a hand to shake, grinning happily, "Hello, I'm Lieutenant Jordan Turner, one of Amir's old friends from the academy. What's your name?"

"Emmerich. I'm Amir's fellow pilot. It's nice to see that he's got someone he's friendly with!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you. You take care of Amir, you hear? I can't be around for him to spill his heart to all the time, and we all know how much he likes to talk," Jordan ribbed Amir, only getting a roll of the eyes instead of a death glare like any other human being likely would.

This done, Jordan checked his watch and his eyes lit up as he realized he was supposed to be going somewhere before he got sidetracked. He turned to leave and waved to both the pilots.

"Hey, I wish I could stay and chat more but I'm running late as it is. I have to get back to my ship so we can head back to the frontlines now that we have ammo. It was good seeing you both," he waved again and grinned before starting to dash towards the ship bay, "I wish you the best of luck, and if you're here when I get back we should catch up!"

Jordan left them both behind, and Emmerich could swear he could see Amir smiling a bit before returning to his normal façade of complete cold stoicism.

Hopefully he could build a rapport with his partner like that over time, but he wouldn't push things since Amir might literally bite him given his temperament.

* * *

Once they ate out in town using some of their hard earned pay, Amir and Emmerich went directly to the hospital to check on Schmitzer. The facility was still filled to the brim, though with some different patients given that the war was still raging and that some were able to go home after awhile. Others 'left', but they were headed somewhere else entirely.

Once they tracked down the room Schmitzer had been assigned they took no time to knock or wait, they went right in to see how he was doing. Inside the room they found the Lieutenant awake, as well as talking to Hepner, who was smiling as she spoke with him. Upon noticing the pilots, Hepner got up to let them take her place.

"I've been here long enough. I will give you two time to speak with him."

Schmitzer saluted the two pilots weakly, his arms and body all covered by bandages on every piece of visible skin, "Lieutenants. I'm touched you decided to come by. Hepner says you came by before as well," he lowered his head in a bowing fashion, his body unable to follow suit, "Thank you for saving me. I owe you my life."

Emmerich shook his head, "Hey, if it wasn't for you we wouldn't have a Musai to have come back to. We owe you just as much. You made an entire graveyard out of those Saberfish!"

The good natured pilot brought Schmitzer's spirits up some, and he smiled at them both, "Thank you nonetheless. I am afraid I won't be able to pilot a mobile suit again, so you two ought to start looking for new team. I wouldn't want to hold you two back."

Amir was the one to shake his head next, "We are fine serving under you, sir, even if we have to wait for your recovery. We are a team."

A doctor stepped into the room and cleared their throat to gain the attention of the others.

"I apologize, but Lieutenant Schmitzer is scheduled for more surgery in a half hour and needs to take his medicine so he is ready."

Emmerich sighed while Amir narrowed his eyes at the poor doctor, who began to cringe before Schmitzer waved his hand and spoke up, "Fine, fine. You two can visit me later. You can even join Hepner, who comes everyday. I need this surgery though if I hope to ever walk again. So get going, Sandman, Purple Hurricane!"

Neither pilot could argue with that, and they departed despite wishing to say so much more to their team leader. Still, something came of the encounter in that walking out into the hallway reminded Amir and Emmerich both of their encounter with Dozle there the other day; he had asked them to come by his office and they had not yet taken him up on that request.

"Once more unto the base we go…"

Emmerich sighed as he realized they should have done this before leaving.

* * *

Dozle rose from his seat to his full, gigantic height to greet his guests. He saluted them both and gave a tooth filled smile before taking his seat again and waving them over to the chairs he had in his room for visitors.

"It is good to see you two again! I can always use a face or two around here. Everyone else is out fighting, and I am here busy with paperwork. No time for any 'frontline inspections' with my custom Zaku."

To get around the rules against Dozle taking an active role on the frontline of combat, Dozle pretended he was 'inspecting' things there and just so happened to come across the enemy…which he would then brutally dismember and hack at with his custom Zaku-II's axe. Dozle was a warm and kind man, but ruthless to his enemy.

Fortunately, one could find just about no-one more devoted to Zeon than Dozle, so Amir and Emmerich had no reason to fear their superior.

Dozle leant back in his chair and began to stroke his facial scars without seemingly noticing that he was, "I have no-one else around to really bounce ideas off of. Would either of you two care to help me with something?"

"Of course, Lord Dozle. Anything you need," Amir responded, being quite the fan of his superior officer. Any opportunity to serve him was a welcome one.

After receiving an affirmative nod from Emmerich as well, Dozle took one of the picture frames from his desk and turned it around to face the other two. On it they could see him and a woman with orange hair getting married, with both looking to be as happy as they possibly could be. The pilots had noticed this photo the last time they were here, and it actually helped bolster their loyalty to their commander to know that he was more than just his rank and station, he was also a loving family man.

"I will be taking my dear Zenna out to dinner to celebrate, but I do not have the slightest idea how to plan for a dinner. Normally I have Garma do this kind of thing, but he is off playing soldier on the frontlines right now with some of our senior officers."

He turned around another photo frame to reveal the photo of him and Garma, who even at a young age was handsome to the point of near beauty. Given the wrong clothing, Emmerich could bet that someone might mistake their prince for a princess…not that he would ever say such a thing out loud.

Dozle leant over the table to whisper to his two soldiers, "I believe I can trust you two with this privileged information, but Garma also was quite handy in writing love letters even if he was half my age when I began seeing Zenna."

Emmerich had to fight a snicker, only managing to do so because he noticed that Amir was fighting a smirk. Dozle took this in stride, having expected such reactions, "Yes, yes, I know. My brother is quite the romantic. I've been trying to pair him up forever with friends of the family, but he has yet to use his talent for his own self. Maybe when this war is over he'll have time to invest in his own romance!"

He lets out a hearty laugh before taking in a deep breath and calming himself, at which point a smirk slowly found its way onto his face as he closed his eyes.

"Zenna and I found out just recently that she is pregnant with our first child, yet I have no idea really how to celebrate this. Any and all ideas are welcome, even if only to narrow down what we shouldn't do."

Emmerich pounced on the opportunity, given he had more knowledge about social matters than Amir did, "Sir, if I may make a suggestion, there is a Japanese-Chinese Hibachi nearby where I grew up that is casual, but not wholly informal. It may be a nice break from fine dining and is not like taking her to a barbeque house. I can also attest that the food and staff are first rate!"

Dozle's eyes lit up as he listened to the suggestion, "That might just work. I will look into it as soon as I am done with this blasted paperwork," he bowed his head, "Thank you for your aid."

Thinking they were done talking, the soldiers began to move to get up only for Dozle to snap his fingers and stop them in their tracks, "Oh, and one more thing!"

Whereas before Dozle was completely cheerful, his expression soured in a split second. Whatever was the matter, the pilots could feel that the malice was not aimed at them, but they still felt a wave of dread wash over them at the idea that Dozle was being infuriated by something.

"During my stay here at the base I have heard some rumors going around, ones I do not particularly care for. Some scandal-seeking bastards have accused me of having a mistress, which I most certainly do not. If you happen to hear anything related to the matter, would you mind helping me tracking down the source? I have media people covering the slander up, but that will not stop its source from repeating it."

Amir saluted him, finding himself also incensed by this news, "If we learn anything we will notify you immediately, sir."

"I knew I liked you two for a reason. Good day, soldiers, and know you have my genuine appreciation. If you ever need anything just let me know."

When they left they received nods from the guards on duty outside the door, Gato and Matsunaga, though they did not get to talk long as the two men were discussing some royal guard business with a tall, lanky man with dark-blue hair.

Whatever it was, it was important, so neither pilot stayed to interrupt their conversation. Common courtesy, even if it would have been nice to catch up with Gato about his day.

* * *

Another day goes by before the two had another memorable encounter. While out in the nearby town's marketplace they instantly found themselves drawn to the site of someone familiar: their team operator, Lieutenant Hepner. She did not notice them given her preoccupation with observing the various food on sale, but Amir took it upon himself to approach her, with Emmerich following behind him.

Hepner had been pretty shaken up the other day, and while their Lieutenant was recovering it was still likely affecting Hepner.

"Lieutenant," Amir greeted to draw her attention, saluting her as she turned around to face him.

The Lieutenant placed down the vegetables she had been holding before quickly returning the salute, "Lieutenant. What are you two doing here?"

"Food. I have an issue with the cafeteria."

That issue was how Gaia was always hogging the attention there and drawing such a crowd by boasting about his team's accomplishments. Amir did not want to be around the man more than necessary, and Emmerich decided to tag along since he honestly preferred the town's food.

Hepner smiled as she realized their common cause, "I'm here to pick up some fresh food to eat as well. You can only stomach so many field rations before you get sick after all."

Realizing that she had not introduced herself outside of their workplace, the petite red haired woman held a hand out to Amir and smiled, "I'm Charlotte by the way."

He took the handshake and smiled, "Amir."

His gaze turned from Hepner to his partner, and the evil smirk he gave was only a single second before he continued speaking despite Emmerich silently protesting him with facial expressions and hand motions.

"And this is Hamtaro."

Emmerich's shoulders sank like anchors as a look of confusion came across Hepner's face.

"Isn't that a hamster's name?"

Emmerich stood up straight and grabbed his partner's shoulders so he could shake the indifferent man, "Amir! I told you not to tell anyone!"

Completely fine with his partner's humiliation, Amir continued despite Emmerich's grip, "His dad likes those cartoon shows children watch from back in the AD era."

It wasn't much, and the encounter was not long, but Hepner laughed, and that was a success in Amir's mind…even if it came at the cost of his partner's dignity.

* * *

After a long day of doing what amounted to nothing other than working out and mobile suit practice with that Ensign Emmerich met named Bernie, Emmerich decided to drag Amir to the bar they frequented and make him pay for their drinks to pay Emmerich back for his earlier humiliation. Being a good sport, Amir relented, though he still found 'Hamtaro' to be a ridiculous name.

Sitting down at the bar, they made themselves comfortable and spoke briefly with the waitresses before someone flipping through the channels caught their attention with one in particular.

"Tonight we have our own Kinue Crossroad speaking with a special guest from the Federation forces, Lieutenant Jamaican Daninghan. They will be speaking about the recent conflict currently known as the 'Zeon War of Independence'—"

The name recognition got both Amir and Emmerich to look at the screen, just in time for it to flicker to another channel. The bar patron who had the remote grumbled at what he had seen on the last channel.

"Federation propaganda."

The current channel, ZeoNet, was the only one most Zeon citizens trusted because those of the Federation were often full of anti-colony rhetoric, particularly against Side 3. Why watch something that would only degrade you day in and day out? So the people watched their own channel, which catered to them, at the cost of insulating their news and information as if to make it an enclosed bubble. This was not unique to Spacenoids, as even on Earth people would close off their minds to channels ideologically opposed to them.

ZeoNet was going over pilot rankings again in an effort to keep up support for the war by going over the heroics of its top soldiers. The list that day was the following:

1\. Ramba "Blue Giant" Ral

2\. Shin Matsaguna

3\. Dozle Zabi

4\. Gerhart Schmitzer

5\. Norris Packard

6\. Char Aznable

7\. Johnny Ridden (deceased)

8\. Amir Hiyento

9\. Miguel Gaia

10\. Hamtaro "Sandman" Emmerich

While appreciative of being recognized for his accomplishments, Amir still looked to the man with the remote and called out to him. He was interested in what the reporter he saw had to say…to see if she would keep her word about giving them a fair chance.

"Turn the channel back."

The other man took a moment to notice who was talking to him given that Amir was not the loudest bar patron, but once he caught sight of Amir's piercing eyes he instantly gave up whatever fight he was about to make about seeing Federation propaganda and moved to change the channel back.

"Fine, fine."

After first accidently going in the wrong direction the man fixed it so they returned to the other channel, the Japanese News Network. Emmerich felt kind of guilty that he was not very familiar with it despite his heritage, but he saw this as a good chance to get into it…if Miss Crossroad kept to her word.

The discussion was between Kinue, dressed in a teal button down shirt over a dark blue undershirt, and the man named Jamaican, whose blonde hair was cut to around military regulation, though he possessed a small mustache as well. While not overweight Jamaican possessed a second chin, which in addition to his long face made him quite unattractive.

Kinue was the one talking when they got back to the channel, and she appeared slightly irritated by the show's guest given how her face was creased.

"The Zeon forces are fighting for independence, yes, but they are doing so for the same reasons we can sympathize with our own soldiers. They want to protect their friends and families, and they believe gaining independence is what is best for them given the economic stress the Federation has forced upon them. Furthermore, their goal—"

Just as Emmerich was beginning to hear some of what he said to her broadcasted for the world to hear, Jamaican cut her off with obviously false anger in his voice.

"They are taking lives to force the Federation to give something to them that they do not deserve. The colonies were made by and for the Earth, so it is their duty to support our great planet, not rebel against it and take the lives of countless fathers and brothers. Just how many died as a result of the colony drop? How many more will have to die? Millions have already been lost!"

He was trying to play the part of rabble-rouser, and some "boo's" were called out in the bar. While what he said was true in some regards, there was more to it than just that. Zeon did not enter the war hoping for millions of deaths…they just wanted freedom, and while it was impossible to deny they had more fanatical members it was because of the decisions of those in charge that Zeon acted as it had rather than because of the collective will of its people.

Kinue frowned as she spoke back, not wanting to let her opponent have the only word on the matter, "The Zeon forces attempted to end the war with the colony drop. If the Federation forces had not altered its course the only lives that would have been lost would have been those at Jaburo. If the Federation was so ideal, they would have allowed for another target, a military target. I hate to say it, but all of those civilian casualties would have been prevented if the Federation had just made peace with Zeon when Zeon called for war, or even if they had not interfered with Operation British to begin with."

Amir grunted as he noticed that this was going better than he expected. Beside him Emmerich was nearly fist pumping given how Kinue was using his testimony, though it sounded like she had gathered even more opinions than just his own. Still, he was proud to have this dialogue going on in part due to his own contribution.

Jamaican leant back in his chair and sneered, "I would suppose you would know, given that you've spent the past few days fraternizing with the enemy. Tell me, how much are they paying you to speak their lies?"

Kinue smiled at him in an insincere manner, "Nothing at all, sir. I am only reporting the facts that I have found and analyzed. As unfortunate as Operation British turned out, the fact of the matter is that it never had to reach that point if the Federation just—"

Across the table Jamaican slammed a hand down, adopting his faux outrage again, "All I am hearing is Zeon apologist rhetoric! What would your parents think of you speaking against the great nation their generation and the generation beforehand helped build?"

That noticeably hit Miss Crossroad in a sore spot given her immediate reaction, but she had a quick comeback as she put on a stonewall of a façade.

"My father rose me to learn the truth of a story, and the truth of the matter is that while the actions of Gihren Zabi are deplorable, we should not take this anger out on the nation or its people. Who is to blame for the colony drop if not for Gihren? The pilots who gassed the colony, who were lied to about their munitions? They were tricked into an atrocity they never would have done otherwise. How about the soldiers who participated in the colony drop? They were led to believe that it would hit a military target and that it would free their families from the Federation's grip. The one to blame is Gihren, perhaps even Dozle for coordinating the colony drop, but I am hearing bile spat at every member of Zeon for what boils down to the deception and heartlessness of a single man."

As Kinue spoke, she used a control panel on the table to bring up on the television screen articles and reports about the colony gassing and colony drop confirming her points. As she made her points the bar could be split between those who were grumbling that they were being called out at all, and those who were chipper that someone was defending them.

"We have seen footage of Zeon civilians cheering at the news of the colony drop, of the death of countless members of our people. What are these Spacenoids if not savages?" Jamaican countered, still appearing smug even though he could not directly counter Kinue's claims.

"People who thought they had just won a war for their independence, for their very well being, no longer having to serve as serfs for the whims of the Federation. While they were mistaken, it is hard to blame people for celebrating the end of a war, unless of course you are a fan of further needless bloodshed, Lieutenant Jamaican?" Kinue retorted in a voice that shifted from first being empathetic all the way to sarcasm.

"I suppose you believe that if not for Gihren, Zeon would be perfectly fine? That is hopelessly naïve. Who do you think put the Zabis in power if not for Zeon's people?"

"Side 3 placed Zeon Deikun in power, and when he tragically passed away he named Degwin Zabi as his successor. Degwin shifted the government to an authoritarian regime, one which Gihren has usurped power within to get to the point he is at now. The people of Side 3 had no direct say in the matter," Kinue continued to casually bring up more evidence through her control panel, all the while speaking seriously and directly at Jamaican, who was nervously glancing at the camera as she continued to speak, "And if Gihren were not leading Zeon currently in the place of his father, what could we possibly hold against them? Without his colony drop, what can we criticize Zeon for? Having an autocratic government? The Federation was an autocracy towards them before the Zabi's ever were, and at least under the Zabi's Zeon has shown marked improvement since its time as Side 3."

"Well…t-they are hardly throwing the Zabis out of power," he argued, though he could not muster more for their verbal battle.

Kinue rose an eyebrow while calling into question the statement's validity, "And why would they? The Zabis are the first leaders they have experienced who actually are working for their welfare and their Human rights, even if they are leading as dictators. How can the Federation claim moral superiority against the Zabi family when the Zabis, a family of dictators, treat the people of Zeon more humanely and fairly than the Federation?"

Jamaican balked and tried to find words to counter her claims, only to stumble and come up with an ad-hominem attack. As he fumbled Emmerich and Amir shared a smirk, pleased to see a Federation officer being humiliated on television.

"I…you…i-if you love them so much, why don't you marry them? I hear Degwin is single after his youngest brat killed his mother in childbirth," Jamaican calmed down and jabbed a finger in her direction, "I think you are deluded Ms. Crossroad, and you obviously are a traitor to our noble cause. How you can sleep at night when our soldiers are fighting for your freedom are dying due to Zeon—"

Kinue narrowed her eyes and calmly leaned back in her chair, confident in having won their verbal joust, "I never said I support Zeon, now did I? I just am not about to slander their entire people because of the actions of a few of them. The Federation is not infallible, and we should be able to criticize what it does wrong. What Zeon has done wrong also is not above reproach, and we both agree that the colony gassing and drop were terrible tragedies. I want this conflict to end, but I don't see why we can't be civil about it. So long as the people of Earth and Space treat each other as enemies, conflicts like this will continue down the line. What does the Federation have to lose by allowing a single colony its freedom? Is losing the economy of one Side truly worth subjugation and global warfare?"

The bar's full attention had been called to the television screen, with patrons forming up around the area to get the closest look possible, some to read the articles Kinue used as evidence for her claims, some others to admire the beautiful reporter, and others just to hear it since whoever had the remote hadn't turned up the volume even though the crowd in the bar was growing more and more enthused and raucous with each round of the debate.

Jamaican stood up angrily from his seat and slammed a hand down on the table again as if that would accomplish anything.

"We're done here I think. I refuse to converse with someone so adamantly opposed to the brave efforts of our military and who would dare speak so highly of a dictatorship while in the same breath slandering our dear democracy!"

As Jamaican stormed off from the set the camera changed so that it was focusing on something else, likely to help save face for the officer, but the debate had had its effect.

"Crossroad! Crossroad! Crossroad!"

The last time Amir and Emmerich could remember chanting this in-unison was when people were taking to the streets to sing the "Zabi! Zabi! Zabi!" when they came to power.

Impressed with what he had heard, Emmerich turned to Amir, who was fighting to keep a smirk off his face.

"You know, we're on a list of the very best pilots in our nation, but I now feel like in one broadcast the interview we gave has accomplished more than we have on the battlefield."

Amir shrugged, trying to play the situation off coolly…even though he was now quite the fan of the reporter he had been ready to throw out an airlock not too long ago. Except for those more loyal to Gihren than Zeon's overall cause, the entire bar was thrilled by the verbal evisceration of the smug Federation officer. Seeing a Federation news reporter portray them as something other than monsters was a huge morale boost, and came with it the possibility that some Federation members and citizens would perhaps gain an alternative view of their enemies.

"Hearts and minds," Amir stated before finishing his current drink. He ordered another directly afterwards, though he did not really want to admit how wrong he had been about the news reporter.

"Hehe, right, right. You happy now that we stopped to talk to her?" Emmerich chided his ally, still wanting to get him back for before.

"Hmmph."

"Oh quit sulking and drink your flamingo margarita or whatever you ordered."

"Is that even a thing?"

Emmerich was the one to shrug this time, "I don't care, I feel like celebrating!" he held his glass up in the air and began to join the room's chant, Zeon's morale and spirit high as ever, "Crossroad! Crossroad!"

January 31st, year 79 of the Universal Century, the Antarctic Treaty was to be signed between the Federation and Zeon…and on that day, Kinue Crossroad would be reported dead.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hahahahaha, yeeaaaaah. This wouldn't be Gundam if we didn't have bad things happen, now would it? To be fair I am following canon in a sense that Kinue is really good at getting herself killed for being TOO intrepid a reporter.**_

 _ **Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the review section below! I'm sure my players would love to hear your guys thoughts on what they've been through.**_


	6. Bonus: Degwin's Regrets

_**A/N: Special thanks to The Reborn Akatsuki and Wing00Raiser for your reviews last chapter!**_

 _ **This chapter is a special side-material and does not follow the main protagonists. In my campaign I would release, for my players, side-material to fill them in on the happenings of the world around their characters and to show how their decisions and actions can influence things beyond what they may originally imagine. As such, this chapter is one such instance of that. These will vary in length, and I plan to do one maybe after every five or so chapters in this story, but they are told in the first person perspective since it was supposed to be events from the viewpoint of someone else.**_

 _ **In this case, that person is Degwin Zabi, leader of Zeon.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below! Sorry about the change of pace, but I hope you enjoy it.**_

* * *

 _Character: Degwin Zabi_

 _Date: January 10th, 0079 Universal Century_

* * *

"Father."

Her voice is every bit her mother's. I remember it well, even if it has been twenty years since she left us.

Kycilia's entire being is a spitting image of my late wife. She carries the hair, the bone structure, the height, and the slight frame that appears nearly sickly in its thinness…even the personality is nearly the same.

A week of war has not seemingly changed nearly anything about her. Her face is as stolid as ever, and it pains me that she has never seemed to pick up her mother's smile. That is one thing that is different…and likely a fault of my own. Kycilia had to grow up too quickly.

I smile at her as she enters my office to come by where I am seated. My extravagant chair has a matching desk, on which are a series of devices to aid in my work, "Kycilia. I am glad to see you return in such good health."

My mention of her well being seems to amuse her to some degree, as she gives a smirk I think she learned from Gihren, though she would never admit it. Her face mask and helmet are absent fortunately, or else I would be unable to observe her so closely.

"If Dozle can fight on the very frontline and come back with nary a scratch, I believe I will be fine leading from a Zanzibar or a Gwazine."

That reminds me, I have heard about that. I made it absolutely clear to each of my children that they were not to directly engage the enemy themselves. We have an army for that. It is their duty to fight the war, and my children are supposed to be leading it.

If one of them were to come to any harm…

I shake my head and my good humor is lost as I think of Dozle's actions, "Dozle is reckless to assault the Federation in such close quarters. I will speak to him later about the matter…"

Dozle is a good boy…man now. He can be stubborn though, and I know he has been disobeying my orders so that he may lead from the front. It is an example I fear Garma will follow in his own leadership, given how he values the lives of others more than a military commander ought to. He will try to prove himself, and his personality is such that he will not leave the fighting up to the soldiers, he will try to contribute on his own for both selfish and selfless reasons.

If I keep Dozle from doing so, perhaps I can stop Garma from ever drawing too near the enemy. There has been enough death already…numbering in the millions, with more to come as this war rages on.

I had warned Gihren that he should be sure about the mission's success, that he should not arrogantly believe our early successes would mean automatic triumph in the colony drop…

Kycilia appears to notice my anguish and moves to stand beside me. She touches my shoulder with a slender hand and puts on a face of concern.

"How are you faring, father? I know Operation British's failure must have weighed on your conscience."

That is a look I have not seen on her for some time now…it was more common when Garma was younger and Kycilia was taking care of him. Have I reached the age when I am no longer caring for my children, but they are taking care of me?

I would smirk at my own thought if I was not so weighed down by our recent failure. If things had worked out like Gihren said there could have been so much less war, so much less conflict, all by taking out the Federation's military headquarters in one crushing blow.

Instead, we slew innocents and achieved no true military objective at the cost of our human dignity.

I rule Zeon. I rule with an iron fist, crushing all those who oppose me. But I do not punish innocents. I do not take lives that need not be taken. Stand in the way of my nation, stand in the way of its people, and you will be removed. But innocents…I even allowed Casval and Artesia Deikun to live when they stand in a great position to dethrone me and my family one day down the line, all because they were innocent children whose father died in a time of turmoil.

If Kycilia is like her mother in terms of who she is, then perhaps Garma takes his own insecurities from me.

Still, if we are to prevail, we must move past this, my own feelings on the matter be damned.

"This conflict has been brewing for a decade now. I have been ready for this for many years. Still, mistakes such as this should never have been made…"

Kycilia narrows her eyes at me and I can imagine that the feeling I now have is akin to what Garma once must have felt when caught stealing from the cookie jar.

He only did it once, and for good reason: Kycilia's cold aura could give frostbite to the souls of lesser men.

"Yet you leave Gihren to run the military, as well as domestic affairs."

Their rivalry has always been tiresome for me, and I have done my best to stand aside, but a line must be drawn sometimes. We are a family; we should stand together, not against one another.

Even if Gihren is a second coming of history's greatest villain…in a single action he has surpassed his predecessor in terms of destruction and death.

"Gihren has the mind to win this war despite our disadvantages. He also possesses a charisma I have only ever seen in two others: Zeon Deikun himself, and your youngest brother. However Garma does not yet possess the political experience Gihren has, and Zeon Deikun is dead. I may rule this nation, but it is Gihren who the people look to for leadership and action."

Kycilia lets go of my shoulder as she continues to hawkishly glare at me.

"Only because you have let him usurp your power."

I have been gradually allowing Gihren to take my place, but is this not the natural process by which power is shifted in governments such as ours? We are a dictatorship, my power should transfer to my oldest child…as much as I grow opposed to Gihren's methods, this is how stability is achieved. If I could just choose, I would make Garma my heir, but then we would have a system that favored the currying of favor from the ruler by their children.

It should be a passage to the most suitable heir, but qualities that comprise that word would become points of contention, and civil war would break out. Family in-fighting would be commonplace, and the tension between siblings such as Kycilia and Gihren or even Kycilia and Dozle would instead change to assassination and death.

So as much as I wish I could just make Garma my heir, I must go with the expected choice of Gihren…otherwise I would invite needless conflict on my family and our people. So yes, I have allowed Gihren's rise to power, but I still yet have the power to yank it back…he controls the tools, while I control the box with which the tools are housed. I can in a single action throw everything away and reduce him to nothing…though to do such a thing would only ever be my last resort. He may lack in empathy, he may even be sick in the head, but he is my son.

"I can always put Gihren in his place, but for now he fulfills a purpose for Zeon. He is the vengeful poltergeist of Zeon Deikun himself, possessing his same ability to rile the masses and the same ideology, without possessing the same morality."

I really ought to have expected Kycilia's response. I was talking to the wrong child to make appeals to humanity…Kycilia was second to Gihren in terms of ruthlessness in our politics.

"What use is morality when it will cause needless conflict and death?"

She is not fully correct, but she is young still. My bones may ache, I may spend days coughing, and my body shows me every step of the way that it does not intend to continue on much longer, but I still have time to pass on my knowledge to my children.

I should have started sooner with Garma, but Kycilia was old enough when we were thrust into leadership of this nation to have received a few lessons. She will be able to comprehend what I say.

"You have a point. If Zeon had lived, our nation would have been trampled upon by the Federation a decade ago. He had called for such dramatic change and reform that there was no turning back. We would have gone to war, and we would have lost any hope we had at achieving our independence."

He was my friend. I once was glad to work underneath him and follow his vision. But his vision was taking us to a place from which we could never return…

I close my eyes as I try to suppress my feelings on the matter and get to what I wanted to say.

"Zeon was a good man, but a fool. Gihren is intelligent, yet his lack of empathy can cause him to misjudge important issues. Even Hitler's followers grew to resent him, and many attempt on his life were made. And not just the charades Gihren puts on to annihilate opposition, I mean actual assassination attempts by those closest to him. If Gihren is to fall to his ambition and greed, it will be by a member of Zeon and not the Federation."

When I open my eyes I can see that Kycilia has taken to leaning against my desk, her icy gaze replaced by a pensive countenance. After thinking momentarily, Kycilia looks me in the eye and nods, appearing to have thought about the issue and come to the same conclusion as I, "If that is true, then step up and depose him before he drags us down with him."

I look away from her and to the room I am in instead. This is a beautiful facility, in which my every wish and need is catered to. My favorite colors comprised it, and as such the turquoise-blue hair my family shared outside of Kycilia was reflected in the architecture. It gave a nice soothing feeling to look at, at least to me.

The room itself was adorned with many things I have collected over the years.

A portrait of my family hangs against the largest wall, made only a year ago. A to-scale replica of the mobile suit Dozle pilots sits on my desk. I bet kids would like toys like that…perhaps to help the economy we should sell them.

Every one of Garma's report cards sits in my cabinet from my time watching him grow and progress in his many skills. I also have a special place for his letters in my desk as well. Garma has the soul of a Romantic if I were to peg him as any type of person. Not in the sense of wooing a lover, but in the sense he appreciates the art to life and people. He sends letters even if they are hopelessly outdated at this point of time. Of course he also sends other things on occasion, but he seems to appreciate the hard to describe value in a letter over some electronic correspondence.

What else is on my desk. Oh, there's a photo of….

I close my eyes and sigh. Yes…that. A constant reminder of the guilt I feel.

It is a photo of Zeon Deikun and I standing together before…well, everything. We had taken the picture with each of our young sons in our arms, Garma looking so innocent as he looked confusedly at the cameraman while Zeon's own son seemed to be glaring at it. Casval was always a serious boy…I had hoped my Garma and he would become friends then, but a true friendship between them would be impossible now.

Garma would still try, but such is the curse of having a heart in these perilous times. I fear what may become of him if this family were to shatter, as Kycilia is insisting I be the driving force behind.

No, we shall stay together so long as Gihren stays within reason…if he betrays us, I will be forced to act, but for now…

For now I am an old man suffering from osteoporosis and more health problems than I'd like to know. In fact, my doctors just give me the medicine without explaining the reason for that precise reason.

With a deep breath I look first to the floor, and then up to my beautiful daughter. My beautiful daughter who squanders her life trying to live up to my example, much as Garma chases after her.

"I do not have much longer in this world. I do not want to end it fighting my own children."

I seem to have struck a nerve, as Kycilia appears shocked for a moment before pursing her lips and giving her poor father a sympathetic look.

"Father…"

I do not wish to continue this subject, so I will not.

"Is there anything else?"

My deflection is obvious, but Kycilia allows it for now. She sighs and moves on to some other business she had on her agenda.

"We have received communication from Mahdi Garvey. He wishes to aid us with his sizeable resources."

Ah, yes, I was wondering when we would hear back form Mahdi. He has been enticed by Zeon's recent victories, thinking it seems that we will easily overcome the Federation…with a little aid of his own, of course. And he will then act as if we owe him. He is a businessman who will seize every advantage and opportunity he can, as he should, but there is more to him than that.

When Humanity moved to space nearly eight decades ago, we did so while casting aside old prejudices and beliefs. We needed to open ourselves if we were to coexist in enclosed facilities in the harsh environment placed before us. While those in space adapted to coexist, those on Earth seemed not to. While of course many showed similar behavior because they were the generation that spawned those accomplishing this in space, there are some on Earth who hold to ancient grudges and hatred. When today conflict is between Earth and Space, with race and religion long forgotten by us, some wish to bring us back to the days of judging by skin and which being in the sky they pray to.

Mahdi is one such man. One of very few left, I am glad to say, but a powerful man who has the power to make his delusions of taking revenge on 'the white men' a reality. I would have no issue with the man's ambition and business savvy if he did not intend to use it to bring us back hundreds of years in conflict. We have enough of that as it is, and here he seeks to use the nation I have built to increase his own standing so he can one day take revenge over old grudges between people who haven't been alive for centuries.

I turn away and nearly spit in disgust, "A man like that does not care for the vision of Zeon Deikun. He does not care for our independence. He cares only for his own goals, and will help us so long as we repay him upon our victory."

"He is a businessman. We need what he can offer. The Federation greatly outstrips us in terms of resources…" Kycilia notes, though her voice clues me in that she is not happy about this partnership either.

Still, it is necessary…even if nobody but Mahdi wants it. How many innocent people will die on Earth because I need to make a deal with this man to secure the freedom of my people?

I am getting too old for this nonsense. Many would have retired at around my age, and I am beginning to see the benefits…perhaps I can spend more time with Garma, and spend time with Dozle's future child. Then, my health permitting, whatever children Garma may have.

"I know. But it does not make me like the matter at all," I've let millions die because of my son's arrogance, now I have to let more die because of the movement I carried forward from Zeon Deikun's death, "Use him however you are able. I have met the man, and he is a monster waiting for the chance to be unleashed. He would burn down a city even if it meant killing his own family."

Kycilia nods and begins to demonstrate her mind for politics, "Should we take a member of his family under our 'protection' then? To keep him in line? I hear he has a newborn daughter, Loni."

That would work for people who aren't sociopaths like Gihren and Mahdi. There are men down on Earth who force children to fight for them. There are those who go on killing sprees, or even contract killers. I wish I had the power to erase them, but that is not something even a ruler such as myself can do.

I can only live with the ones life has forced me to conspire with. If he was anyone else but my son I would have had Gihren jailed for his crimes, but he is the monster I have let him be…but he is the monster Zeon needs right now to take on the monster that is the Federation.

History will revile my name one day, as will it revile Gihren's, but I hope that I can contain our stain so that it goes no further. Perhaps even Kycilia is too far gone, maybe even Dozle, but I will not let it consume Garma. It is all I can truly try to do with what is left of my life.

"Provoking him will cause him to bite us and not the Federation when he does snap. He hates those who were once known as 'white', even though the rest of the world has moved on to thinking in terms of 'spacenoid' and 'earthnoid' or whatever the phrase is these days…" a thought comes to mind as I speak of Mahdi's prejudice, one that makes me frown as I look upon my beautiful daughter who did not deserve the many hardships in life she has been given, "On second thought, have your subordinate M'Quve handle him. He is crafty enough, and you are a woman…Mahdi will feel affronted if you order him around."

Of course Kycilia would have been unaware. She was born so far after we cast our pasts aside to create new cultures and identities in space, so far away from those on Earth who clung to the Anno Domini era.

Still, she pieces together what I meant because she possesses the sharp brain that has allowed her to come so far despite living in Gihren's shadow, "Some of us are not in the Universal Century era yet it appears…" she almost laughs at the absurdity of it, "Past prejudices impacting us in this manner…how asinine."

She is correct. I am not a good man, not by any means. But even I can recognize those that are worse. I will have to live with how my loose grip on leadership allowed for Gihren to take such a drastic action, how I allowed myself to delude myself over the matter with the hopes that it would all turn out perfectly as planned. I regret those things, and will one day do my best to make up for them in my own way, but Mahdi? He would drop every colony and kill everyone except a select few without feeling an ounce of regret.

"Father!"

That was not Kycilia's voice. No, that was Gihren barging into my office as if it were his own. It very well may be one day, but for now it is not…

I really am too old for this if I am so focused on something as mundane as an entrance. In any case, Gihren has entered and Kycilia is now glaring at him as she usually does. He is not smirking back and making coy comments to his dear sister though this time, so something must be offending him on some level.

"Gihren. What troubles you?" I ask. While I don't condone his extreme actions, I do still love him as my son. A part of me hopes he can turn away from his ways, be a better man, but little if anything has ever fed into that dream of mine…

Gihren grips a fist and I can see it shaking. I think I know what this is about.

"Have you seen the Federation broadcast from Japan?" he asks, voice controlled now but still oozing his anger.

I smile and nod, knowing what has upset him. Yes, the same broadcast that has made me so reflective today has also seemingly had an effect on Gihren, "Yes, I have."

"If we do not stop this it may drive a wedge in our people! We cannot allow our enemy to isolate us and destroy our unity."

Oh, so he wants to conspire with Kycilia and I to curb any possible anti-Zabi protests that may occur because a news story went viral that lambasts him. And me, I suppose, but I have no care for what others think of me these days. I lost the right to care even if I wanted to after I gave Gihren permission to commence the colony drop.

Normally Gihren would laugh off any unflattering news stories from the Federation, seeing them as ignorant of his intellect, and by the end of the day he'd have the perpetrator's downfall planned and set in action. This time though I think hearing the public reaction in Zeon, of a sizeable yet not overwhelming amount of citizens seemingly siding with the Earth reporter's views.

I mean, I even side with them, but if I go out and admit my shame I will damage the work my family has built up over a decade. I cannot afford to let my personal feelings damage us at this most crucial time, so I will sit and I will let those younger than me do what they will do.

Still, I shall never give up on my son, and so I will use this as a learning opportunity for both him and Kycilia. He sees how it may damage us. I see it for how it may damage our enemies even more, "While it may cause us unrest, think of the impact this will have on the Federation. They already had Zeon sympathizers and those opposed to the current Federation leadership who will now be more inspired to assist us. The Federation will face internal pressure that may push them to call for peace all the sooner, and under more dire circumstances."

Gihren still seems to disagree, though I can tell that my point got through to him, though I suppose he's likely already thought of it and dismissed it before coming to me. Still, I can try.

"And what of our family's image? If our opponents slander us, our people take it in stride, but to have someone claiming to speak for our commoners, a supposed ally, speak against our actions? This invites division amongst our people at the most fundamental level! We cannot afford to quell riots at a time like this."

Kycilia raises her crimson eyebrows at her brother, "Our actions? Here I thought she criticized you, Gihren."

Gihren cast his gaze over to Kycilia, "You may not publicize it, but you were just as knowledgeable as I was about those operations. Do not look so smug, dear sister. If we lose the slight grasp we have on our people, we all will suffer."

"Then do not drop any further colonies or engage in actions that will give fuel to a bloodhound such as the Federation reporter. It appears the benefits are outweighed by the heavy cost at this point," Kycilia argued back, not speaking due to personal morals but because she could understand the existence of others' morality. Gihren could only see it so far as he could recognize that political enemies would utilize something like this against us, not because he truly understood why our people would be so drawn to such an idea as 'perhaps we do not like killing innocents'.

Still, I will not have any of this. I suppose Gihren is right to feel a threat from this, but we can focus on domestic nation matters later. For now we must handle the war we have sparked.

"Enough. This bickering is not necessary. Our war effort is improved by this matter, even if Gihren lost face from it. We will capitalize on this morale boost, we will force the Federation to stand down, and we will end this war before our people must suffer any further."

After standing and thinking a moment, Gihren calms down completely and nods to me with a smile. A smile I have come to understand means he has just schemed about a month's worth of matters. He is brilliant, I must give him that.

"Yes, father. I believe I understand."

I doubt that. He has probably planned the death of the poor woman. In fact, I may resign as Sovereign if he hasn't merely to recover from the shock of Gihren not being Gihren.

In fact, I doubt him so much I will even say so.

"Do you, now?"

Gihren shakes his head and even laughs. At least I have amused him…

"Do not worry, father. I will not assassinate that petty woman. Not when I can wait for the Federation to do it on their own."

Oh, so that is his angle. Why do the dirty work when someone else will do it for him?

"You suspect they will eliminate their dissenting member?"

Before he can respond I find myself remembering a similar event from about ten years ago…yes, and the details are quite ironic now that I think about them because of the most notable person killed then and the one to be killed now by the Federation.

I nod and answer my own question, "Yes, come to think of it I recall them doing similar actions at the time of Zeon Deikun. To cover their own corruption and the illness of their state, they would go so far as to imprison and kill their own people."

"A war between tyrants. At least we do not pretend to be democratic," Kycilia scoffs, and I smile at her admirable attempt at humor. It is about as close to humor as she ever gets, so I must acknowledge it.

Gihren is still here despite the matter having been settled, meaning there is something else on his mind, but I have been thinking about far too serious matters for far too long today. Whatever it is can wait.

"Gihren, I sense that you have other matters to address, but I ask that you postpone them. I have matters of my own to attend to."

Not seemingly put off by my hesitation, he turns and moves to leave, "I will have my secretary forward a record of the matters to attend to. I too have many matters to attend to, and I cannot idly wait."

I smile as he leaves the room, "Very well. Give Cecilia my greetings."

Cecilia, that nice young flower shop girl who Gihren took a liking too how long ago? In any case, I would be a poor leader and a poor father if I didn't know my right hand man and son was sleeping with his secretary.

Rumor has it Cecilia's long vacation some time ago is because I have a secret grandson. The people who spread that rumor are dead now, partly because of Gihren, partly because of me, but there were rumors nonetheless. Now I hear rumors about Dozle having an affair when everyone knows he is obsessively devoted to his family, as I taught him to be. Family comes first, and when I can I make sure those who would harm my family are taken care of.

Once Gihren has left Kycilia moves to follow him out, but I speak up to stop her before she manages to.

"Kycilia, you may stay," I say as I start fiddling with controls on my desk to cause a computer screen to appear before me.

I really only wanted Gihren gone, and I do not want to talk to Kycilia either about anything, but I am about to engage in my favorite activity and I thought it was one Kycilia would like to partake in.

"Oh?" Kycilia questions, but I do not answer as I finish what I am doing. The computer screen has made contact with one of the one's at a military base, and now is transmitting a video feed from there.

"Hello, is Garma available?" I ask the petite black haired woman working at the station I made contact with. Being Sovereign had its perks, and I could basically do as I pleased, so I did not even bother to contact the main terminal since by asking for my son, just about anyone would jump over any amount of hurdles to connect the call.

I have to have fun somehow, right?

"Y-yes Lord Sovereign Degwin!"

The woman rushes off-screen and I turn to Kycilia, who is still standing where she had been. I wave her over to my side in as hurried a motion as my old bones can manage.

"Come into the frame, Kycilia, so Garma can see you."

She just manages to accomplish this when I see a head of purple hair come on screen. Such a nice shade…I wonder if it is lavender? It is the fusion of his mother's red hair and my (former) blue hair, and I must say I like the result.

Garma appears startled when he can see us, making me wonder what he had been told by the secretary person, "Oh, Father, Kycilia. What a delightful surprise."

Some parents would not admit that they have a favorite, but I am unabashed about my own. Garma is everything good from me and his mother, without the flaws that are so apparent in Gihren and even Kycilia.

"How are you, Garma? This week must have been difficult for you."

He has a conscience, one that works unlike my own and definitely exists unlike Gihren's. War, the deaths of soldiers around him, and the deaths of innocent civilians must be crushing him if it is having this much of an effect on me.

Still, Garma is ever eager to please, and so he tries to put on a stalwart face even though I can tell that his small smile is completely fake, "I am fine, Father."

That's not all that's off about his face…he also appears a bit gaunt. Not as bad as Kycilia, but I wonder if he has even eaten since the colony drop. Or slept. He appears bedraggled, and I can see rings under his eyes.

"Are you eating well? Your hair seems greasy, and your face—"

"I'm fine Father," Garma repeats a bit more forcefully, causing my protest to stop. I care for him, but I do not wish to be too overbearing.

He is the last gift my wife gave to me…am I wrong to cherish him?

Kycilia is the next to speak, even taking the tone of a disapproving mother like she used to when they were younger, "You never were a good liar, Garma. You need to change that."

Garma's eyes avert from us as shame replaces the false calm he had displayed previously, "I was just viewing some reports of the failed Operation British…"

I see…I wish I could have shielded him from that, but he has to confront the real world and learn what it is like so that one day he may change it for the better.

"You need not burden yourself with the mistakes of your elders, Garma. Focus your energy and spirit on doing what you can for Zeon rather than the past we have made."

Garma looks up before bowing his head, "Yes Father."

It is saying something that even Gihren has shown occasional glimpses of care for his youngest sibling, for Garma possesses a kind of magnetism that is unique to very few. Our population's near obsession with him despite his young age and lack of propaganda machine as compared to Gihren should explain why looking into his sad eyes moves my heart so, even beyond my role as his father.

"And be sure to take care of yourself. You need not lose your health at such a young age."

Garma nods simply before taking a closer look at what he was looking at through the screen, "How are you faring, Father?"

He must see how tired I feel as well…how defeated I feel despite Zeon's many victories.

"As one may expect. I fear that this conflict will not be the quick and simple matter I had hoped."

To that, Garma has nothing to say. There really is nothing to say that all of us do not already know. As such, Kycilia takes the silence to say something of her own, as a part of her has grown concerned with what she is seeing.

"Garma, you should rest. You look unwell."

If Garma is to be faulted for anything, it is his pride born of genuine talent, but pride nonetheless, "I cannot afford to look weak in front of the troops. If I am unwell, I will merely have to appear otherwise."

I want to argue about that point, but someone outside the view of the camera says something to Garma and draws his attention. He listens to them before giving them some kind of affirmative, then turning back to us.

"Excuse me, but I have to take care of this. Thank you for checking in on me, Father, Kycilia."

"I understand, Garma. Be well."

Kycilia crosses her arms and stares at Garma through the screen, "Remember your training, and take care of yourself."

Garma gives the first genuine smile he's probably had in days to us before saluting and leaving, "Goodbye. I hope to visit you two soon when we've won this war!"

The video feed ends and I am left with Kycilia in the quiet of my office.

To break it, I say what must be on both of our minds, "He is pushing himself…"

Kycilia nods in agreement, "I have no doubt he was physically sick at seeing the wreckage in Australia. He has always been naïve."

"Not as naïve as you believe, but I concur nonetheless."

The call over, Kycilia moves to leave again, but this time I stop her with a hand.

"Look after him, Kycilia."

Dropping her fierce appearance for once, she smiles and nods to me.

"I always have."

I lower my arm and she moves to the door as I try to pull myself together.

"Farewell Father."

Now alone, I am left to my thoughts. My guilt. My pride.

My strength brought me to this office…and my weakness has brought me here. I may be wrong. I may never be able to remove Gihren from power. I may wither and die and have my family fall apart around me.

"Naliss…if only you were here…"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry for the change in pace, but this is something I wanted to introduce sooner rather than later.**_

 _ **Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed and will let me know your thoughts in the reviews below! Your favorites and follows are also very helpful, and thank you again for reading.**_


	7. The Battle of Saloon

_**A/N: I hope you enjoy, and please leave your thoughts in the review section below! This chapter has quite the...interesting event in it, and I think you'll see what I mean when you get to it! Honestly one of the best parts of the game when it came together as the perfect storm.**_

* * *

 _A bottle smashed across Gaia's face, causing the short man to stumble a few feet to the side as he shut his eyes and tried to keep the broken glass from getting in his eyes._

 _"Da-damn it! Get 'im boys!"_

 _Gaia's brute of a teammate Ortega, towering above everyone else present at the bar, grabbed Amir by the shoulder and prepared to slug him in the face._

 _Instead, someone leapt at him and knocked him enough away for Amir to get up and swing a punch at the next Black Tri Star to come his way._

 _Such was the fight that would become the all-out brawl in Simone's officer bar that would carry consequences later in the war._

* * *

Days before, things were far calmer.

"That's all the time I've got for you guys today. Hope you learned something useful!"

In his free time Emmerich had taken to showing some of the in-training pilots on Side 3 how to look after and maintain their own mobile suits. Before he had become a full fledged pilot he had been a mechanic who was skilled in his own right, though he was quite fond of his new career as a pilot rather than the one who would clean up after them.

As Emmerich heard the cacophony of goodbyes and thank yous from the younger men, he took his leave. The only voice to catch his attention was the first of the even greener soldiers he'd met, that being Ensign Bernard Wiseman who was at the very beginning of his mobile suit training. Fortunately, in Emmerich's mind, that meant the man wouldn't have to go out and fight since the war would be over long before someone so new would even finish training, not to mention even be needed.

"Seeya later Sandman! One of these days I'll be a pilot who can take you on and make a name for myself."

Emmerich turned around to face the blonde man and wave at him in the mobile suit hangar, though since he intended to leave he began walking backwards while giving his retort.

"And what name would that be? Hamburger?"

Bernie scoffed at Emmerich's joke, not appreciating being called by the name of his favorite food. He'd been a few minutes late to the demonstration because he had been eating one and lost track of time.

"Oh ha-ha."

The former mechanic and now "ace" pilot felt his stomach rumble as he laughed at the other man. This gave him a great idea for what to do now that he was free of the fledgling pilots and their inability to tell one wire from another. You can't just jump into the cockpit of a mobile suit after all, and teaching them had ended up as a more enervating activity than he originally thought it would.

"I think I'm going to go have one now that I mentioned it. See you kid!"

"You're barely older than me!"

Emmerich had decided to end the lesson when he had seen Amir standing by the doorway, not coming in but also making his presence known. His teal hair appeared slightly damp, which was unsurprising to Emmerich given that the other pilot must have just finished exercising and likely had taken a shower as a result.

"Got to work out with Gato as his friend Layzner or something like that. Starving now," Amir explained as he noticed Emmerich looking him over.

Emmerich patted Amir on the shoulder as he walked out of the door the teal haired pilot was standing by, "Good, I was starving too and lied about having to leave so we could grab something to bite."

Amir followed after him, ignoring the playful attitude displayed by his companion, "Not much else to do as we wait for our unit to be deployed again but eat and train."

"And live a little. You go on any dates in your time back yet?" Emmerich nudged his partner in the ribs.

The response was one he had expected, namely nothing at all, and so Emmerich rolled his eyes.

"Fine then, be a bore."

On their way out Emmerich moved to head to the officer's bar they frequented when he felt Amir grab his shoulder and halt him.

"We go to Simone's all the time. I heard about another bar that's seemingly good."

The other man was right, they had been going to Simone's about every chance they got, especially when they were doing things together, and so the idea of going somewhere else actually seemed like a good idea.

Of course, Emmerich still planned to end the day at Simone's, but for now they could try something else.

"Well then show the way. I'm always up for changing things up a bit."

Where Amir ended up bringing him was an older bar than Simone's, probably having been open decades if not the entirety of Side 3's existence. While not in poor shape, the building was certainly showing its age, which in addition to the dim lighting inside made Emmerich feel a little uneasy. If he was not with another member of the military he'd be afraid of possibly being mugged around here.

"This place seems sketchy, but alright."

Amir shrugged as they both entered the building.

"I hear this place used to be a Deikun gathering place. Less Deikun supporters, less business, less fixing the building I guess."

The place was empty except for a trio of patrons and the waiting staff. Across the bar from them a stout man in his mid thirties, yet with greying hair, sat in good cheer as he spoke to his two other companions, a lithe blond woman who sat by his side and a gaunt man with a moustache a skinny frame.

The lively conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the two pilots, and the three previous patrons took a moment to scrutinize them before the burly man waved the pilots over to join his group.

"Why hello there, I don't believe we've met. I am Ramba Ral, and this is my lover Lady Haman, and my associate Clamp. You two are a part of the increasingly popular Lieutenant Schmitzer's team, correct?"

The recognition surprised both pilots, who were honored to be noticed by someone as capable as Ramba "The Blue Giant" Ral. He was the finest of Zeon's top pilots, an uberpilot by the standards of some, who had made his name by how effectively his group had been able to tear apart Federation forces with his blue Zaku-I leading the bold tactic he would employ. Not only that, Ramba was a long serving military man who came from a notable family, so unlike the orphaned Amir or more common folk Emmerich he was already a celebrity of sorts as a pinnacle of what Zeon's soldiers could aspire to be.

While taking a seat across from Ramba Ral Emmerich gave an affirmative nod to the veteran, "We are. We owe everything to him so far," he fought a frown as he thought about how close they all had been to death, though he managed to spirit it away as he continued speaking. He brought a hand out to gesture to himself and his fellow pilot, "I'm Emmerich and this is Amir."

Ramba rose his beer glass to applaud the two pilots he had seen on the news, ever willing to celebrate the deeds of others given his own humble nature, "Then it is a pleasure to meet you. It is a shame old Schmitzer won't be piloting anymore, but these are the things that come from war."

The group settled in and after a waitress took the drink order from their new arrivals, Ramba Ral spoke up again out of curiosity.

"Say, what brings you two to an old bar like this? Lady Haman was a singer and Clamp used to bartend here back in the day, so we've got special treatment, but its not exactly a thriving place for the newer folk to enjoy."

"A breath of fresh air, really," Emmerich honestly responded after sharing a glance with Amir, who had been keeping quiet since he had not had much he wanted to say. His attention had been drawn in by a television screen ever since the beautiful Lady Hamon had changed the channel when the other pilots came to sit by them.

Ramba seemed to understand the need to try something new, and after he wiped some beer from his bushy mustache he spoke back with a hearty voice, "We are here to reminisce about the old days while my unit is restocking on supplies. There is not much space on a Musai for spares after all. We'll be heading out tomorrow, so we're not supposed to drink too much now."

Emmerich and Amir each thanked the waitress who came with their drinks, but Ramba's words tempered their desire for too much alcohol.

The more outspoken one of the pair gave a nervous laugh as he realized he too could be called on duty at any moment, so he should probably take it easy on the drinking…as well as prepare in case he wanted to drink later at Simone's, "It's only midday as well, so I don't think I'll have much either."

Ramba noticed that Amir's attention seemed to be called elsewhere, so he looked over to where Amir was focused on. When he saw that the news was doing a special tribute to Johnny Ridden, the top tier pilot who had been unfortunately caught in the line of fire the other day.

"A shame, really. War can be cruel to even the best of us in the most surprising of circumstances."

What Ramba said resonated with Emmerich, who remembered his own brushes with death in his limited time on the battlefield. If he could nearly die multiple times in two outings, someone who had more chances to go out to the battlefield certainly had more opportunities to have any number of things go wrong…and it only took one stray bullet, one lucky shot, to end someone's life.

"That might be one of us one day. If it can happen to someone else so good…"

Amir's attention had been taken because he felt the same way. While not personable, he still was able to empathize with the poor man who likely had a family back home, had people who he cared about and who cared about him. They were taking the lives of others when they fought the Federation, but that did not make the deaths of their own soldiers any easier on those left behind.

For an ace to have died as if by accident, mere chance, did not settle well with Amir, who liked to think that his own skills would be able to keep him alive. That he could make his own fate and not be subject to such chance…but Ridden's death was a clear refusal of that thought. There was only so much one could control, only so much one could change, and so tragedies such as this were to happen on occasion when one's luck ran out.

Ramba stroked his mustache and contemplated the man's death, "He died during Operation British. A fine pilot; looked like a man I once knew so I spoke to him by mistake before."

Done contemplating the death of his fellow soldier, Amir turned to Lady Hamon, "You can put the other channel back on, you know. We won't mind."

The woman seemed surprised that Amir had caught it at all. She looked over to Ramba Ral as if for permission, which caused Ramba to turn and look over Amir with substantial examination.

As if coming to the conclusion that they could trust him, Ral nodded to Hamon, who took the remote control and changed the television channel back to what it had been showing.

"If you wish."

The Japanese News Network came on and a panel of people sat discussing the now viral debate between the network's own Miss Crossroad and Federation officer Jaimacan, which had caused much political discussion on both sides of the conflict because it was not Zeon justifying its actions nor the Federation demonizing them, but rather an instance where the Federation itself questioned the previous media portrayal of Spacenoids as "lesser" or "evil" such as when it became known that some members of Zeon had celebrated at the time of the colony drop. The Federation government had tried to spin a narrative that the people of Zeon were monsters in the guise of human bodies, while Kinue's research showed that things were not so black and white. Instead of each side feeding into their own propaganda, the narrative was questioned and the escalation of tensions had slowed even if they still remained.

However, seeing the Japanese News Network was becoming a difficult thing for Spacenoids, particularly those of Side 3, due to efforts of each government: the Federation tried blocking broadcasts to the colonies while Zeon was trying to shut down dissenting opinions. The people of each nation seemed to appreciate the honesty shown to them, and so they were finding alternative ways of getting opinions outside of their nation's official reporting.

One popular discussion had led to a cascade of other media events. Zeon did not want its war effort and morale to falter, and the Federation did not want to lose its own credibility and moral high ground, so they each wished to silence the increasing number of dissatisfied voices speaking up after the first.

Ramba gestured to the television with a hand, his voice growing a bit more gruff as he watched the people discuss the "The Zabi's have seemingly been trying to reduce public opinion of Miss Crossroad, but I think a little discussion is a healthy thing. She has said what is on her mind, and that happens to be in support of Zeon even if she won't admit it, so our people are responding well to her."

Clamp spoke up in a joking tone, "I doubt if I were to say such things I would be anywhere near as famous."

"I apologize Clamp but you are not a beautiful woman. In fact I cannot even imagine you in women's clothing, I may even take myself out with a grenade if I did," Ramba joked with his subordinate soldier and friend, laughing along with the man before pausing to continue his thought, "You also are not a member of the Federation. That is an important factor in her popularity and those other disenfranchised Federation citizens as well I believe, as hearing our supposed enemy support us is a breath of fresh air, using your words Emmerich."

In response to being referenced, Emmerich responded with a smirk as he realized he liked the older soldier all the more for appreciating the same news source, "I have to say I'm quite the fan. Amir is too, not that he'd admit it."

Ramba nodded, though he soon frowned as he thought about the difficulty of actually viewing any outside opinion news sources such as this one, "If only the Zabi's would stop trying to block her broadcasts. They aren't too keen on dissent, and they have to hate hearing someone criticize them in such a manner."

Realizing that Ramba was a good man and obviously not a disloyal one, yet was speaking in a manner some could consider treasonous, Amir decided to pass it off as disgruntlement born of the colony drop. Ramba had been involved in the operation as well, and to have watched it fail and result in so many deaths must have weighed heavily on his mind, but at the same time Amir did not find it fair to blame all of the Zabi's for it: Dozle carried out the orders, but it was Gihren who actually commanded the military and the political apparatus to mobilize such an operation.

Amir rose his eyebrows at the other man, faking disbelief as he decided to give the soldier a chance to rethink the issue, "You believe the Zabi's are a single entity?"

As if catching himself in error, Ramba Ral laughed at himself and shrugged, "A mistake on my part, perhaps. It certainly appears that they act as a single unit, but I suppose they are individuals."

"Ramba Ral," his romantic partner Hamon spoke in a warning voice, though Ramba continued to speak despite her unsubtle suggestion to keep quiet.

Fortunately he came back with a statement few would dispute or criticize for anything beyond its middling praise, "Come to think of it, Garma isn't so bad. Always seemed considerate. I'd hate to see this war change that about him."

Realizing his less than stellar love of the Zabis was becoming apparent, Ramba Ral cleared his throat to prepare to speak up again.

"Excuse me for my frankness. I never have been the politician my father was."

While normally judgmental, Amir found it easy to forgive the jovial man. There was not deep-rooted hatred in him like other Deikun supporters. Many of Zeon's citizens would gladly be ruled by the descendants of their former leader instead of the Zabi's whole stole power, though those numbers were dwindling by the year as the nation flourished under the control of the genius mind of Gihren and the benevolent Degwin. Gihren had even begun taking some of Zeon Deikun's supporters for himself, winning them over with the same powerful charisma and oratory skills Zeon Deikun had used to spur the masses of space to stand for their freedoms.

Standing behind Zeon Deikun had been two powerful families: the Zabis under Degwin, and the Ral's, who were known quite well to be devoutly loyal to Deikun himself. If the Zabi's saw fit to still allow Ramba Ral, son of their most vocal opponent Jimba Ral, to live a normal life it was almost too benevolent of an action on their behalf for even the naïve Emmerich to believe.

Knowing a decent bit about Jimba Ral, Emmerich tried to strike up conversation about him, "Wasn't he one of Zeon Deikun's supporters?"

"You would be correct—"

Ramba's words were cut off by a man in a military uniform rushing into the bar. Everyone turned to face him, but by the time they could he was standing at attention and saluting his superiors.

"Sir, our Musai is ready for departure."

The man, a soldier underneath Ramba Ral, appeared to be out of breath. He must have run when he received their orders, with a pat from Ramba Ral on his pockets revealing he must have forgotten to bring his communication device. Hamon gave a friendly smirk to her lover as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his greying hair.

"Good Cozun. Prepare for launch immediately, and I will join you soon."

Ramba Ral stood up along with Lady Hamon and Clamp, though he did not start to leave like the other two so he could instead offer a hand to the pilots he had spoken with.

"I apologize for cutting our conversation short," he shook each of their hands and offered them a salute before throwing some money down on the table, "Your drinks are on me. Just be sure to come back from your next assignment alive and we'll call it even!"

While perhaps a product of his upbringing and not a loyal member of Zeon to the Zabis, Ramba Ral did certainly seem to be a good man whose loyalty to Zeon itself rendered him good enough in the eyes of the Zabis to keep around.

After all, it would be a shame for someone as skilled as he to have an "accident" like some of the other political opponents of the ruling family in Zeon. And for that Emmerich and Amir each found themselves grateful, since while their loyalties differed in some regards they were still on the same team.

* * *

Ramba Ral's departure had been fortuitous for Zeon, as it was not soon after that the absolute hallmark of Zeon's fighting superiority came to be at the Battle of Loum. The Federation forces remaining in space had grouped together in an attempt to turn the tide of the war, but instead they allowed Zeon to better focus on them and defeat them at a rapid pace. The most notable instance of this was when a pilot named Char Aznable, now known by the moniker "the Red Comet", utilized his light red custom Zaku-II to defeat five Federation ships on his own in record time. An instant idol had been born to the people of Zeon, with the sparse footage of his actions dominating the news stations thereafter.

The Federation forces had been led by General Revil, a man known for his brilliant mind and kind heart, but no longer were: the group led by Gaia had managed to disable and capture his cruiser in the battle, leading to the battle's decisive conclusion in the favor of Zeon.

Given the battle's complete one-sidedness, Zeon was in a single stroke the ruler of outer space. The Sides that had not joined it were no longer protected by the Federation, and the Federation had not the strength to win anymore against Zeon. Peace talks were on the horizon, and with the pushing of members within the Federation to make peace the people of Zeon were sure that they had achieved their freedom.

Both pleased at the war seemingly being over and disappointed they had not been able to play a part in it, Amir and Emmerich had decided to go out and celebrate out in town. The bars were packed when they were out even though the day was still young given how excited the pilots who returned were, and so Emmerich had suggested they first go out to the town itself and see what was going on.

A parade was being led in the city by none other than Garma Zabi, while the businesses were all trying to sell merchandise commemorating the various new heroes in Zeon. Things about "The Black Tri Stars" and "The Red Comet" were common, though Emmerich was pleased that he found a couple things related to his own moniker "Sandman" even if others had usurped him in his minor celebrity status.

As it stood neither he nor Amir were in the top ten given how long they had been out of commission in the extremely short war, though at least they knew some of those who were reveling in fame.

1\. Ramba "Blue Giant" Ral

2\. Char Aznable "The Red Comet"

3\. Shin Matsaguna

4\. Anavel Gato

5\. Norris Packard

6\. Miguel Gaia "Black Tri Star"

7\. Dozle Zabi

8\. Gerhart Schmitzer

9\. Lou Roher

10\. Yonem Kirks

Ramba Ral had clung to his position at the top with commendable service that was not flashy like Char or Gaia, but did what it needed to in order to come out on top at the end of the day. After them were the bodyguards of Dozle Zabi, who had surprisingly not joined those on the frontlines and led from a cruiser of his own. Gato and Shin had proven themselves as capable soldiers nonetheless when the Federation tried to take down Dozle's ship, only to find fierce resistance from Zeon's Royal Guard.

Given the skill demonstrated in his previous battles Schmitzer managed to cling on to the bottom of the list, next to the man Amir and Emmerich met before who had sought to work with Schmitzer. A couple other people unfamiliar to them appeared, but one was noted as having taken on overwhelming enemy forces and having come out ahead, while the other had made a name for himself by sniping enemy suits with a detached Musai cannon he used in his Zaku-I.

The ranking was not a serious matter, but it was a fun way for the people of Zeon to keep track of the most successful members of their military, the men who would become the idols of today and tomorrow.

While browsing merchandise in the many stores while Amir waited outside, Emmerich caught sight of a familiar red head fighting the sea of people brought to the streets by the victory parade. Emmerich walked out of the store and tapped Amir's shoulder so he could draw his attention to their comrade, though each was surprised that Hepner was not alone like usual: beside her was a woman with dark hair and a more energetic face nearly dragging the poor operator along behind her.

Their destination surprised both Amir and Emmerich, as Hepner and her seeming companion stopped right by the two pilots. Realizing that they must have spotted Amir from the street and fought to get to him, Emmerich found himself glad he had also caught sight of them so his partner did not accidentally attack them in self-defense should they have gotten too close.

The dark haired woman leant in to speak directly in Hepner's ear, "These those two ace pilots on your team you mentioned? They certainly are cute."

Amir rose his eyebrows in confusion while Emmerich laughed at the utter lack of subtlety displayed by whomever this woman was. His laughter would only continue when she finally let go of Hepner and the poor girl nearly fell over while her friend approached Amir and began to look him up and down.

"What are you, the cold and silent type?"

She received a stare in return, just as she would expect someone of his kind to do. Amused that she had been correct, she turned to Emmerich and gave him a bright smile as she looked him over like she had Amir.

"Innocent boy who has never done wrong?"

While not without fault, Emmerich shrugged at how she pegged him fairly correctly, "Maybe."

"You sure know how to pick 'em," she returned to Hepner to nudge her. This done, she turned around to face the pilots and gave a smug smile, "Want to eat with us? I'm Hepner's friend Yuki Nakasato by the way."

"Yuki!" Hepner cried as she found herself blushing at her friend's blunt suggestion.

Yuki threw an arm around her friend's shoulder and continued to grin, "Hepner here has always been too busy working to have a life, so I'm here to help!"

Sensing a kindred spirit in Yuki, Emmerich threw an arm around Amir to mimic her, "I try my best with this one, but as you can see I'm hardly successful. He only hangs out with me."

Amir removed his friend's arm and scoffed, "At least I have other friends."

Emmerich grumbled as he thought about what Amir was saying, and when he found it nearly true he decided to complain that Amir was not really telling the truth, "One friend! One!"

Having taken in everything before her, Yuki finished nodding her head to their little squabble and pointed a finger at Amir, "Well, I think Hepner likes that one," she pushed Hepner over to Amir before turning herself to face Emmerich, "So I guess I'll go with you!"

Hepner stopped her forward momentum and turned to face her pushy friend with a baffled look plastered on the operator's face, "What?"

Yuki laughed at her friend as she moved up next to Emmerich and put an arm around his shoulder in an overly familiar way, "Oh come on, there's two of them, and there's two of us. Let's go on a double date to bring some life to you two dullards!"

Amir and Emmerich shot glances to one another, though they quickly came to a consensus to just go with the flow.

Embarrassed beyond belief, Hepner moved a palm to her face to try and cover her shame, "Why am I friends with you?"

"Because I'm the only one who tries," Yuki laughed as she patted her 'date' on the back playfully.

Amir tried not to smirk as he watched his own energetic friend be taken by Hepner's even more energetic companion, "You two will be perfect together."

"I was about to say the same to you!" Emmerich retorted weakly before leaning over and whispering, "Just don't go and outshine me, okay? Don't be a sudden Casanova, I need a wingman."

"So I take it we're doing this?" Yuki questioned, not sure if the two men were onboard yet or not, but she was intent on making them if they weren't.

"Sure, miss very forward Yuki. We'd love to go out with you two. It's already getting a little dark, so why not join us at our favorite bar?" Emmerich said back while smiling down at her. She was taller than Hepner, but shorter than the above average height Emmerich. The tallest was Amir, who stood about a head taller than Hepner, who stood in shame by him as she tried to calm down and keep her face from matching her hair.

"Let me guess, Simone's?" a nod yes made her grin return, "Knew it. Okay then, enough shopping Hep. Time to teach you what a date's like!"

Hepner rose a wobbling hand up to protest, but it died in her throat as Yuki and Emmerich each began to go off towards the bar, "But…"

Left behind with her, Amir shrugged and gave her a comforting glance, "Just go with it. They won't leave us alone if we refuse."

Realizing that what he said was completely true, Hepner sighed and decided to go with the flow…even if she was embarrassed beyond all belief, "I guess it'll get my mind off of the battle."

The two began to follow after their audacious friends, but Amir did not let the subject die down. He remembered how shaken Charlotte had been after the battle when Schmitzer had been wounded and others on their team had died, so he thought it appropriate to see if she was okay, "How are you doing after that?"

Hepner averted her eyes as she tried to push away the dark images in her mind spawned from that battle, "So many people died…"

She took a breath in and then looked up to Amir, who she was grateful to for being willing to talk to her about what happened. Still, despite his surprising kindness, she didn't want to think about that day…not when the war was over and they had more to look forward to.

She smiled up at him to show her gratitude, "I'm okay though."

It was then that she realized she basically knew nothing about him. She had glanced at his file when she was learning about her team, but back then he had just been a random name and random file rather than someone she knew.

"So, tell me more about yourself. We've been flying together for awhile but I don't know almost anything about you."

Amir looked up and let out a sigh as he tried to think about how to explain his relatively simple life, "I'm an orphan who grew up fortunate enough to get into the Zeon military academy, and I'm a dedicated military man. I don't have much outside of this all as a result."

He was not the type to open up, but he felt fine with telling Hepner that much about himself. Not for her to pity him, but to understand perhaps why he was the way he was.

Hepner nodded sadly as she realized why he likely became the stoic man he was, "I know the feeling. I'm nothing special, but I was fortunate enough to have a family. I grew up with a normal family, in a normal city. I went to the academy and just graduated, so this is my first real assignment."

They exchanged some random facts about themselves as they continued to follow after their friends, and when they all finally got to the bar it was without the embarrassment and nervousness previously present.

The good nature of the group was lost almost instantly when both Amir and Emmerich saw what was going on inside the bar. The entire crowd there was gathered around the three rude men they had encountered before, Gaia and his men, and they all seem to be having a great time celebrating the asshole pilots.

Intent on ignoring them, Emmerich and the others silently made their way to the bar itself and sat down on its stools. Content with just ignoring them, they would have let the day go on with a pleasant mood if not for the three "Black Tri Stars" noticing the only people sitting by the bar and recognizing two of them.

"Hey, if it isn't the punks from the mess hall!" Gaia called out, instantly silencing the previously loud room as he drew attention to the two pilots and their 'dates'.

Amir's frequent visits to the bar made it easier for the bartender to serve him, and so he began gripping the beer bottle handed to him as he tried to ignore Gaia's smug voice. Emmerich too tried to just ignore the man, but he was struggling not to say any retort from where he sat. Hepner was on one end of his group, next to Amir, who was next to Yuki, with Emmerich being the last one, and the two women similarly tried to not react since they could read the mood.

Of course, Gaia being less than a rocket scientist, he approached Amir and placed a hand around his shoulder playfully.

Gaia was laughing as he taunted Amir, "I see your five or whatever cruisers and raise you a general, boys! We caught Revil himself! What do you say to that, you second rate chumps? Not so tough now—"

Amir's bottle smashed across Gaia's face faster than he could react, causing the short man to stumble a few feet to the side as he shut his eyes and tried to keep the broken glass from getting in his eyes.

The crowd gathered gasped, shocked that their dear idol had been struck. While some in the room were incensed to act on Gaia's behalf, others fortunately were in their way.

Amir hadn't even turned to face Gaia, he just swung his bottle directly into the man's face to send the repulsive man a message. Emmerich could get away with playfully touching and ribbing him. People who meant well could even joke around him. But make yourself his enemy in any form? He would have no tolerance towards you whatsoever, and he very well would lash out against you. While petty, he did not care what the man thought of him.

"Da-damn it!" Gaia gasped as he wiped blood from gashes on his face, "Get 'im boys!"

In response Gaia's brute of a teammate Ortega, towering above everyone else present at the bar, grabbed Amir by the shoulder and prepared to slug him in the face. Instead, Yuki leapt at him and knocked him enough away for Amir to get up and swing a punch at the next Black Tri Star to come his way, Mash.

Ortega was initially surprised to be attacked by the girl next to Amir, but his surprise did not last long as he swung his arm around to hit her instead. The blow connected with her face and sent her stumbling back into the bar, Yuki hitting the structure and then slumping to the floor in a complete daze.

"Yuki!" Hepner gasped, concerned for her friend but not sure she wanted to join in on the fight that was suddenly raging.

When Yuki went down Ortega found himself being tackled by Emmerich, who had hoped in vain that this would not escalate even when Amir struck Gaia. He carried the giant a few feet back until they hit a table, while Amir and Mash sent fists flying at one another. Mash was throwing powerful punches, but Amir was managing to dance out of the way with his superior agility. While not the most powerful man, Amir managed to get a few solid hits in on his opponent before a chair swung into his back and caught him off guard.

"Hey! Hey! Break it up!" the bartender tried to intervene, but nobody was listening to him at that point: those in the fight were in-the-moment, and those not fighting were busy watching in amusement. Some who had been previously cheering on the Tri Stars were actually rooting for their opponents after Gaia basically picked the fight, while the others were all still rooting for some of Zeon's top aces.

Gaia had managed to recover from his facial damage and had used Amir's former chair to strike him. The attack had been wildly aimed though, and so Amir was not horribly hurt by the hit though was still left open to Mash striking him in the gut as he tried to recover from the blunt strike.

Emmerich was knocked off of Ortega with the man's brute strength, forcing Emmerich to fight for his footing as he flung first into the air and then stumbled back towards the bar. He managed to keep his footing, but only because Ortega was too preoccupied otherwise to follow up with him: Yuki had dazedly lunged at Ortega's lower body in an attempt to take his legs out. Unfortunately for her, he had already begun to pick himself up from the table and one of his legs had been swinging out, so when she made her move he put more force into his movement to swing and connect his foot with her face.

Yuki collapsed entirely as Emmerich forced himself back into the fight, while Amir tried his best to fend off the two opponents he was fighting to little success. The bar's setup was crowded, with tables, chairs, and the bar itself all impeding his movement and preventing him from utilizing his speed to his advantage. This, in tandem with facing two enemies at once, put him on the defensive and he was unable to do much more than try and block and get out of the way of their attacks.

Given the situation, the two likely would have been taken out by the Tri Stars and humiliated, but fortunately the bar's door slammed open and a man's voice boomed.

 **"Need a hand?"**

Everyone from Mash to the people in the bar's crowd turned to look at who it was, and found themselves shocked at the sight of Vice Admiral Dozle Zabi standing in his full military uniform. Not only that, he had a broad smile on his face born of not having been able to directly fight in the Battle of Loum yet now had a chance to indulge in his lust for combat.

" **ADMIRAL DOZLE?** " Gaia yelled as he watched the giant man make his way towards the fight. Unsure of what to do, he caught an elbow to the throat by Amir as he stood in surprise.

Given that Emmerich was busy punching Ortega in the face, Dozle moved to the other half of the conflict and grabbed Mash by the scruff of the neck. Smiling down and the far smaller man, Dozle gave him a huge, tooth filled smile before proceeding to lift him up into the air and smash him with a powerful punch to the stomach. Mash was sent careening backwards, tumbling over a table and causing it to tip over on him as Dozle let out a large laugh.

"Forget my last name, I am here to have a good time, and it seems that means fighting! Come at me!"

Realizing that he was about to be attacked by the Admiral, Gaia saw fit to try and attack first. He ran at Dozle in what he believed to be self-defense, but a punch by Amir interrupted his charge and caused him to instead stumble until Dozle could grab him and begin savagely beating him with a flurry of fists.

Behind them, Ortega had managed to turn the tables on Emmerich by throwing him over one. Emmerich had been dizzy when he hit the ground, and his far larger foe had utilized the opportunity to begin kicking at his downed opponent. After a few brutal kicks to the ribs, he lifted a leg up to prepare a powerful stomp on Emmerich—

—only for a crutch to swing at his other leg's knee and take him off his feet.

Looking up from the ground, Emmerich coughed in pain as he noticed that a man with two crutches was preparing to use one of them to slam down into the downed Ortega.

"Lieutenant Schmitzer?"

Having been released from the hospital that day, Dozle had offered to take his former teacher out to drink. When Dozle heard a commotion at the bar he had rushed ahead of Schmitzer and joined the fray, with the Lieutenant hurrying after him as much as he could on his crutches.

Mash tried to help his team leader escape the savage beating from Dozle, but a grip on Mash's shoulder served as the prelude to Amir's fist. He tried to retaliate with a broken bottle he had picked up when a different beer bottle collided with his face and broke apart. From the sidelines Hepner had tossed it, and it afforded Amir with the chance to begin his own beat down of the other man.

Once Dozle had finished his 'fight', if it could even be called that, with Gaia, he took the man and hurled him towards the entrance. Gaia's body went half the distance in the air and the other half skidding across the ground, eventually forcing the door open with the sheer force he had been tossed by Dozle and ending up out on the street.

"That's one!"

Mash tried to retaliate against Hepner for striking him with glass to the face when he felt a firm grip on the top of his skull. The scarred man howled in pain as Dozle's hand forced some of the glass further into his head, though his screams were cut off when Dozle pulled him into the air, lifted him above his head, and then tossed him like he had Gaia.

Gaia had just started to try and get up when his legs were taken out from under him by Mash's projectile of a body. The last of their number, Ortega, had finally managed to power through the repeated crutch strikes and hits from Emmerich to get up and try to manhandle the crippled man who had been striking him so powerfully with crutches. This never came to be though as Dozle kicked a table to knock Ortega away, and then moved with surprising speed to catch up with the man before he could recover from the table strike.

Not as in-control of the larger man who struggled with him the entire lift up, Dozle tossed the other, smaller, giant the same way as his allies…though he ended up going through the large glass window that allowed others to look inside. In doing so Ortega nearly collided with a crowd of people who had gathered to watch the spectacle after a man had been thrown out of the building quite literally.

Later, Gaia, Ortega, and Mash were accused and convicted of being "drunk in public" and "disturbing the peace". The leave they had been given after the Battle of Loum was taken away except for a brief period at the hospital, where their wounds were treated, and unsurprisingly the three were reprimanded for daring to try and strike a superior officer, not even to mention that he was a Zabi. They also had to pay for the broken furniture and glass window, with the costs docked directly from their pay.

Dozle had made sure to lessen their punishments out of near sympathy for the three men, but given that he learned later that they had provoked the fight he still felt righteous in his intervention.

"So, you boys want a drink or what? I think I need one," Schmitzer laughed as he looked at the chaos of the bar.

"Oh, and I think I know what our next assignment will be. Wanted to let you know we've been selected to join the diplomatic group as guards whenever we go to meet with the Federation and make peace."

Emmerich made sure to get Yuki some medical attention before returning and talking with Schmitzer about their coming mission. As it turned out, their squad would be end up as guard detail at the Antarctic Treaty where the war was supposed to end.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! The bar brawl with Dozle was hilarious, and even though I gave Schmitzer terrible attack penalties he managed to utterly destroy Ortega by random chance in a most beautiful display.**_

 _ **I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below!**_


	8. Blood Like Snow

After the Battle of Loum and the capture of the Federation's General Revil the war had all but come to a close. The Federation no longer possessed the strength or morale to confront Zeon in further conflict in-space, and Zeon was pushing them to finally give in.

This situation led to the important day in history at the end of January 0079 where Zeon and Federation representatives would meet to discuss terms of peace in the Antarctic of Earth. The treaty signed that day would become known as the Antarctic Treaty, and it was Zeon's intention for it to be the moment their nation and movement was seen in a legitimate fashion, where they would be recognized as more than an upstart colony and as their own true sovereign entity.

Attending the event would be many of Zeon's top officials and members of society, seeming craving to see the historic occasion in action and perhaps emboldened by the Federation's cowed demeanor after their military had been crushed in space. Most notably the entire Zabi family had decided to attend: Degwin was happy to see to the war's end personally, Gihren was there as the leader of the Zeon forces, Kycilia would be remiss if she were to let Gihren be the sole one pressing policy, Dozle attended with the intention of showing force and perhaps intimidating the already weakened Federation to submit, and Garma came to support his father and to perhaps influence diplomats in a manner opposite to Dozle's more direct method.

This did pose an interesting problem in terms of security, one which would not go unaddressed.

"Are you certain we should all be in attendance, Dozle?"

Inside Dozle's office at the Side 3 Zeon base he was having a private meeting with his youngest brother Garma, who was attending to Dozle's appearance and grooming him like a professional salon hairdresser may. Dozle was the least political and socially minded of his siblings, and so he often had Garma assist him when something was truly important to look good at, and as such Garma was making sure Dozle's uniform was without wrinkles, his hair combed correctly and not a wild mane like it usually would be, and other such ascetic matters.

Dozle laughed as he watched his brother work through a mirror Garma lent him for the occasion, "Between Shin and Gato, I have no worries about my own safety. You are the one who lost some of your own Royal Guards if my memory serves me correctly. Are you sure you wish to attend, Garma?"

Garma smirked as he tended to Dozle's messy hair, though his initial smug look faded into one of sadness, "Of course. I am afraid my inexperience cost those men their lives…making sure this ends now so more won't have to join them is the best way I can repay those who would die for my safety."

Dozle nodded to Garma's statement, inadvertently disrupting Garma's work until Dozle stopped to respond, "You have Urabe at least, so I think you will still be fine. I will even be bringing an additional retinue of guards that can perhaps fill in for your own forces before you have the deceased replaced."

"I hear you are bringing those two pilots you were in a brawl with. I remember one of them a bit from the academy…Amir, right?" Garma tried his best to not harm Dozle despite how terrible of a patient he was for this specific form of triage: he wouldn't sit still given how expressive he was.

The memory served as an excuse for Dozle to smile and he sighed as he reminisced about the encounter. While brief, he did not often get to let loose like he once could before his family's rise to power, "He is a good soldier. A bit like Kycilia in personality I must admit, but he will not let us down. He and his partner have distinguished themselves quite well in these past weeks."

"Too bad old man Schmitzer won't be piloting a suit alongside them."

Dozle shrugged, "I have arranged for him to come too. A support role only, but I would hate to bench him entirely when his men are going to come with us."

As Garma finished a section of his brother's hair he slowed down and began to think about what they were going to do. This would mean the end of it…the goal his family had sought so many years, the independence of space from the oppressive Earth. The end of a brief yet costly war that had cost the lives of many soldiers on each side.

There was a reporter who had recently lost their job for speaking about how people should be looking forward to this end of conflict, as to how this could be seen as a positive thing rather than a negative…Garma wished more would speak up like that, but doing so had its consequences, as demonstrated by how JNN fired its most controversial reporter just recently amidst pressure from the Earth Federation government. Still, Garma wanted to hope that this was the end, and that it could be the start of a new beginning like what his father and many others hoped for.

"Do you think this will be the end of it?"

Dozle took a moment to grasp what Garma meant, but once he did he closed his eyes and smiled, proud of what he and the other members of his family had accomplished, "I believe so, yes. We have their equivalent of Gihren in chains and will use him to pressure them into conceding more than they otherwise might."

General Revil was going to be released as part of the arrangement that day Garma reckoned, but he had a thought nag at him concerning who did the important act of taking the enemy General into captivity, "Oh, right, didn't you assign those three clowns you trounced to guard him today?"

"They captured him, so they ought to be his babysitter I reckon!"

Garma sighed at the barbarity his brother could sometimes show. While they shared the same passion and emotional range Gihren and Kycilia would often lack, Dozle and Garma could not be more different in terms of what they considered 'fun'…except for piloting mobile suits, which was a shared passion born of Dozle having taught Garma how, "You should have restrained yourself a bit. You threw one through a window…"

Dozle felt slightly guilty at harming his own soldiers, but word was they had provoked the fight and so he did not truly mind having broken it up…by breaking them, "They're almost healed after that little display, they'll do just fine," Dozle's near sheepishness disappeared as he realized an opportunity to turn things back on his brother…by changing the subject to something Garma would be surely flustered by, "Now, on to more important matters: when this is over I hope you can follow in the steps of your dear brother and find yourself a beautiful bride."

Garma stopped his surgery on Dozle's hair to look down at him and send him a disgruntled look, visible due to Dozle's mirror, "This again? Really?"

The expression on Garma's face amused Dozle even more than bringing up the subject itself. While he was a family man who wished the same happiness on his dear brother, Garma's sensitive nature was what really made him bring this up as he would often just blush and mumble in response, "Of course! You will be a hero of Zeon, the very future of our people! You need a beautiful wife to stand alongside you, give you wise counsel, and, when the time comes, give you an heir for your coming dynasty that will last a thousand generations!"

"You're only gushing because you and Zenna are going to have your own child soon enough," Garma shot back, trying to hide his irritation. Fortunately his failure to do so was mitigated by how an unintended happiness mitigated his own anger, as Garma had been happy to hear from Dozle about his coming child. So Garma wanted to be irritated, but barely came across as such.

Dozle gave a tooth filled grin that Garma knew well: his brother enjoyed being mischievous when he could get away with it, something Garma himself had taken a bit after since it came from their father's own behavior to begin with…but Garma still detested being on the receiving end, "You are absolutely correct, but don't put it off too long! Father will pass his power along in the next few years and you had best be prepared. I am sure I can introduce you to one of Zenna's friends if you wish."

Garma gave his brother a sly, smug look through the mirror's reflection, "Perhaps I'll marry someone then to spite you then."

Dozle frowned and crossed his arms, "If you need to spite someone, spite Gihren."

"And marry who? Someone from the Federation?" Garma snarked, thinking the idea ridiculous. That kind of thing only happened in old plays and love stories like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, or so he believed.

It wasn't as if Garma had trouble with romance: he had done all of Dozle's love letters years back that had helped win over Zenna's heart, and that was when Garma was a child. No, the problem came to putting it to practice for himself: as Zeon's beloved prince and media sensation, finding just about anyone who would see him as more than a cute little princeling was difficult. People wanted to know him because of his father, because he was rich, because he was a rising star, or any other of a million facile reasons.

Also knowing this, Dozle felt as if Garma had just solved the issue with his joking statement. Wooing someone from the Federation would be far superior to a Zeon woman in that they would be more likely to care for Garma himself than for his station and image.

"A brilliant idea! And the sooner the better! Your only friend is that Char man, and I would hate for the rumor mill to take that the wrong way!"

"Not every pair of friends wishes to jump in bed together, Dozle. Stop reading fanfiction, or else reality might disappoint you," Garma laughed, "Speaking of him though, I decided to bring Char along since he's one of our top aces. They're calling him 'The Red Comet' now after his achievements at the Battle of Loum."

Something had always felt off about Char to Dozle, but he was willing to hold back his own reservations given Garma's close bond to the superb soldier. Dozle felt Garma finish his grooming and so took no time to begin waving him off, "If you trust him, I will as well. Now, you've finished helping me, so go attend your own matters. I'll draft a list of women to introduce you to later when we're on the way back!"

Garma scoffed as he playfully shoved Dozle's shoulder on his way out, "I can't wait until your son or daughter is born so you can stop focusing on my own personal life and have yourself busy with your own for once," he paused and cast his gaze aside to the floor, "Besides, I can't just choose anyone I want. We are the Zabi family, there are other considerations to make."

Politics…Dozle frowned as he thought of the sacrifices his dear bother might have to make one day for the sake of the nation. He hoped finding a loving partner would not be one of them.

"I'm sure Father would approve anyone you choose as your wife, Garma."

Garma turned around and gave Dozle what the brother knew to be a false smile.

"I'll see you on Earth, Dozle."

With that, Garma left and Dozle was left alone.

He put up a good front, but Garma was no longer the cute child who was always happy he once was…a life of seeing his family grow distant and embroiled in politics had taken that from him, and Dozle regretted it.

His contemplation did not last long before a knock on his door preceded the entrance of the soldiers he had been talking about before. Just how long had they been outside, and had they heard anything? Dozle shook his head as he smiled at Amir and Emmerich.

"Sir, we're ready."

"Let's go then. Today we make history, for better or worse!"

* * *

Dozle was not exactly a fan of the Antarctic when they arrive, though not for the reason most would expect: he didn't care at all about the cold given his strong constitution and tolerance for such conditions, but he was irritated by politicians speaking in double-tongued manners and trying to deceive him. He was not dumb, he just had little tolerance for this kind of thing and barely had the patience to not strike some of those trying to speak to him in manipulative manners, thinking him to be easy prey for their machinations as compared to his other siblings. While Garma was off impressing a few at a time with his social skills, Gihren was in a meeting, and Kycilia was busy making sure Gihren did not get the final word on anything, Dozle was left to handle these parasites on his own.

Outside there was an entire military force posted in case anyone tried anything, and that was where Emmerich and Amir sat in preparation for anything that might happen. They had traveled to Earth on a Zanzibar cruiser, Zeon's only major vessel capable of both entering and leaving Earth's atmosphere. It also could hold mobile suits in its hangar bay, and as such Zeon had sent multiple of these craft to attend the meeting so a whole retinue of forces could stand guard outside for the safety of Zeon's leaders, with a small army of regular soldiers also garrisoned there to protect them.

While the real royal guard was inside with the Zabis, their B-team was in the mobile suits, who were opposed by the Federations's own army of jets and tanks which were opposite them. Emmerich had noticed that his mobile suit was far more difficult to control inside of Earth's gravity, but he hoped that wouldn't end up mattering: if the talks went as expected, he wouldn't have to fire a shot or fight at all.

A couple hours went by as the two stood guard before something finally shook them from their constant vigil, and that thing happened to be Dozle losing his patience finally with the crowd inside. Their radio channel opened up and they could hear their commanding officer speaking in a hushed tone, as if he was doing this in secret,

"Hiyento, Emmerich, are you there?"

Emmerich grinned, glad to hear the man's voice as it broke the boredom of looking at the military base every aching second, "Yes sir. It's a bit chilly out here, but we're not too numb to hear."

"Well then let me give you an offer to come inside and warm up! Things seem to be going well, but slowly, and I can't stand the company of politicians and rich socialites. That's Garma and Gihren's territory. So come and keep me company."

Emmerich would have snickered if it wasn't his superior officer he was speaking to, "If you wish so, sir."

"I do. Perhaps the sight of uniformed soldiers will intimidate these spineless fools."

"You got it sir."

The pilots communicated with their forces to have someone take their place and join their three man formation that also included Hepner in a Zaku-Ii. Their position was by Ramba Ral's team, Char's team, and behind the black suits being held onto for the Tri Stars who were inside looking after General Revil. Fortunately Zeon had thought ahead and had extra pilots for the occasion, and the men took their seats so Amir and Emmerich could go inside.

The base was a standard military facility in many regards, albeit enclosed to stave off the intense cold that lay outside in the snowy terrain. One half of the facility was "given" to Zeon for the proceedings, so as to not give the impression that Zeon's top officials were enclosed in enemy territory. This half given did not include a command center though, and so within the walls Zeon was without access to security cameras and other basic tools as compared to the Federation. Given that Gihren had informed the Federation that any harm to him or his diplomats would result in Zeon forces dropping another colony as well as nuclear attacks, the Federation was still not in a position to do anything drastic.

The enclosed nature of the military base made the inside appear like a mini-city, with various buildings and structures comprising the vast majority of its innards. These gave the impression of "streets" or the like when Amir and Emmerich entered through security and took a look inside, though there was no confusion about where to go: the large base had a center structure that was far larger than the others within the overall enclosed area.

On their way Emmerich paused as Amir continued past him. Something had barely caught his ear's attention, something faint and fairly far away…but from where?

"Hey, you hear that?"

Amir turned to look back at him in confusion, "No."

Emmerich continued to stand still and tried to listen more to see if he could hear the offending noise again. He was sure it was someone…and they were in a part of the base that had no guards posted. Zeon had swept the facility to make sure no Federation were on their half, then established a strong presence at the entrance and at the halfway point, with only the occasional patrol to make sure nothing nefarious was happening. The focus had to be on the most critical places after all.

Because of this, where they were shouldn't have what sounded like a person.

Emmerich waved Amir to follow him as he caught wind of another noise he could swear was someone else, "Come with me."

Ami relented, though he did not want to keep Dozle waiting. He could indulge his partner in this if he thought it truly was important.

The two wandered briefly through a couple "streets" until Emmerich's vague sense of where the sound came from paid off. When they turned down what could be called a back-alley he gasped and took a step back out of instinct.

"What the—"

Amir whipped out his pistol and turned around, looking for any immediate threats as Emmerich fought past his initial shock to run to the scene of what was most definitely a crime.

On the ground, laying in a pool of blood, was a woman they each had recognized quite well: Kinue Crossroad. How she had managed to get into the building was little wonder, as there were countless reporters from the Federation and Zeon both in attendance, but how she had gotten here specifically, and why she was currently bleeding out were entirely different and not as obvious. What had happened?

Emmerich stopped by her side and tried to look over her to gauge her condition when he realized she was trying to crawl forward. She coughed up blood from her lips before weakly reaching past him, her voice faintly saying, "Father…Saji…"

It was as if she had not even noticed the soldiers, showing to Emmerich that she was partly delirious, probably from all the blood she had lost. Who would have done this to a reporter? Who would be so bold at such a critical peace conference?

Still, Emmerich was determined not to let this end as a murder. She was still alive, and he would be damned if he let her die because of whatever fiend had tried killing someone at a peace conference. Her weak movements stopped and she collapsed on the ground as Emmerich thought about how to best handle the matter. Using Amir to help him, they removed their cold weather clothing and then ripped their uniforms apart to create a makeshift, admittedly poor, tourniquet for her. This done, they wrapped her up in their extra clothing and Emmerich gently elevated her up.

"I got her! Call M'Quve's Zanzibar and get them to prepare for medical treatment! Don't explain or say anything else in case they are listening to our communications! We have no idea who did this."

Amir did as his partner ordered in a quick communication, though it was followed by an incoming communication by another superior officer: Dozle.

"Where are you? I am looking like a fool since even our earthbound ally has his pilot and bodyguard with him."

Emmerich bit his lip while trying to think of how to explain it as quickly as possible, "Sir, we've found someone bleeding out in the base—"

 _ **"WHAT?"**_

Wherever Dozle was, he no doubt just caught the attention of everyone around him. Emmerich started on his way towards the exit of the building as he gave his quick response.

"We don't know what happened, but we'll take care of it, sir!"

"Very well…Vacate the area immediately before you leave any traces of yourselves. Take them to our ship, and I will instruct our guards to look the other way and not make a racket of this. Hurry now!"

Emmerich and Amir traveled as quickly as they could without causing her further harm. Emmerich felt chills going up his spine for more reasons than just the coldness of the setting: he feared that perhaps this was an inside job, and he had no idea who he could trust outside of his direct associates.

As they brought her past the security checkpoint they heard murmurs from those there. They did not stop the pilots as Dozle promised, which helped the two men in their hurry to get to a secure medical facility. The frigid outside air nipped at them even more than before since they had given their clothing to Kinue. The Zanzibar they were headed to was a good two hundred yards to the side while the mobile suits on guard were lined up are directly in front of them.

With all haste, they got to the Zanzibar without further incident. When they got to the Zanzibar a medical team was waiting for the two pilots and their charge at the very front. The medical professionals seized the reporter and quickly whisked her away, paying Emmerich and Amir almost no mind as they did so.

Despite the dismissal of the medical professionals, one of the guards by the Zanzibar saluted them.

"Sir, Admiral Dozle and Lady Kycilia have asked that you return to the facility!"

Concerned about what would happen to the woman, yet also ordered to leave, the pilots silently accepted their orders and headed back to where they had been going.

There was only maybe a one in a hundred chance Emmerich could have heard the weak words of Miss Crossroad, but fate had been on his side, and it would become a moment well remembered in Universal Century with its impact on the following events.

* * *

The area where Dozle was expecting them was a lounge of sorts for those not in the current meeting yet still a part of the overall proceedings. Many officials from both sides were gathered, though the most notable of them in the sparsely decorated room was Dozle, who as the pilots approached moved to the center of the room where an invisible line divided the whole place in nearly two by faction.

" **Why** aren't any of your own forces investigating!? She may have been found by _our_ entrance, but we have no idea how long she has been there! What is the meaning of this!?"

The Federation members standing there all cowered as Dozle threateningly loomed over them, his scarred face displaying a rage Amir nor Emmerich had ever witnessed on him. The man was absolutely seething, stemming from the callousness displayed by those informed of the events just recently on the Federation's side. Some had even seemed amused that this had happened, and this infuriated Dozle even further. While the victim was a member of the Federation, to see their detached disregard for other's lives reminded Dozle just why they were fighting this war against this corrupt body of ghouls.

Seeing their Admiral like this was enough to shock even Amir, who knew him well for a common soldier, and he actually felt scared on some level of the behemoth in his state of rage. It felt almost surreal, but Amir could swear he felt an aura of complete rage, of unbridled fury, emanating from the soldier that was unlike any normal fit of anger.

Dozle slammed his fist down into a table at the room's center, his strike so powerful the table broke from its base and fell apart, "In this gathering to make peace one of the largest supporters of Zeon's fight for independence is killed! I demand to know who is responsible, and if you refuse to give us the facts my men will find them on their own!"

Killed? Emmerich and Amir exchanged glances as they heard him talk. So Kinue had passed away after they left…they were too late. Hearing that someone they had come to respect had died despite their best efforts rose sadness in them both, though also anger. While neither wanted to approach the infuriated Dozle in his current mood, they both began to understand it.

Kycilia was the first to speak to Dozle while the Federation merely cowered in fear away from the giant, "Dozle, be calm. This is not the time to make matters worse."

Balking at his sister's reprimand, Dozle turned and noticed the pilots he had called for. They could see that his face was red with fury and that he seemed ready to throttle something much like he had that table.

Given that neither pilot was officially doing anything since others were in their mobile suits, Dozle decided to assign them a real task beyond keeping him company, "Find me the bastard who did this! That is an order! I will not have anyone else interrupt this peace summit!"

He turned to his other side where Gato was standing guard along with Dozle's other guard, "Gato, I am assigning you to my father's security detail. Shin, you look after Gihren!"

Gato protested the order in a quiet voice, "But sir—"

Dozle began to calm down as he explained his reasoning, "There is a killer on the loose. They could target high priority members on either side. My father's safety takes precedence over my own, especially as I can handle myself."

Gato and Shin obliged Dozle's order and went their own way with reservations still on their minds, leaving Dozle to face the two pilots still standing before him.

"What are you standing there for? The only ones who could have done the crime are here in this facility. Find the murderer!"

Realizing they had been caught up looking at Dozle's ranting, Emmerich and Amir snapped to attention and saluted their superior, "Yes sir!"

Either a member of Zeon had committed the act, or a Federation member had…who also was skilled enough to slip by all of their forces and do something as severe as murder without anyone noticing.

Burning with anger, Emmerich and Amir returned to the scene of the crime.

* * *

Surprisingly no Federation soldiers had come to investigate the murder's location, though two Zeon guards were standing by at the alley's edge. They took note of who the pilots were and waved them by due to their clearance granted by Dozle.

Since no-one had investigated or disturbed the scene yet, it remained as it was before: blood spilled on the ground with a few things of note around it that Emmerich and Amir had not noticed in their haste previously.

First of these objects was a bloodied wallet, which Emmerich realized that Kinue had been reaching for when she tried crawling past him only to collapse partway. In it Emmerich could see the photo of Kinue's family from before, a picture showing her, her father, and her younger brother Emmerich was guessing was named Saji.

While the wallet would not likely have much to do with finding the killer, Emmerich pocketed it so he could perhaps return it to her family later. Or, at least, return the photo since the wallet itself was stained with Kinue's blood.

Near the dried blood Amir found another piece of interesting evidence, that of a bloodied piece of clothing that had been torn. Given how small it was and that it was drenched in blood he could not tell what it originally had been, or if it belonged to Kinue, her assailant, or some torn garment from before the event, but he took it in case someone could identify it.

Things would be easier if Kinue were alive and stabilized…

Still, despite not knowing the full picture or having security camera access to look over the events, the two continued scouring the scene. After a slight bit more time looking there came two contrasting pieces of evidence: a Zeon manufactured bullet, and a sliver of what could be considered a Federation rank patch. The latter made the two think the Federation was at fault, though the former kept them from being certain…it was possible a Federation soldier had a Zeon weapon and maybe tried to frame them with it, but that was mere speculation.

The last thing found by them was the notebook Kinue used to record conversations, but its front page had been torn off and the remaining pages were blank. Whoever had attacked her had made sure that whatever she had been writing down was not to be heard…perhaps she had found something out that others did not want known? If not, then what was the cause?

Without much more to go over, and worried that the longer they spent standing around the more time whoever committed the crime would have to hide or otherwise cover themselves, Amir and Emmerich hurried back to the lounge where Dozle and the others were.

If someone had ordered the attack, there was a fair chance they were one of the officials not busy in the current meeting and were instead standing around in waiting for it to end.

* * *

As the pilots entered the room there was a clear divide within it just as before, with the important members of the Federation on one side while Zeon's officials were similarly lined up on the other. Degwin and Gihren were absent, likely in another room, but Dozle, Kycilia and Garma were all gathered together and discussing something.

Many of the officials gathered were doing the same, with their bodyguards looking hawkishly around at every movement that others in the room were making. There was an obviously high level of tension, since things had been tense even before a murder had been found, and while conversations were going on for the most part they sounded stilted and uneasy.

There were only a few groups that did not appear deep in some kind of important conversation, mainly those who did not appear to be regular members of the military. One was a tan skinned man in a fine white suit who did not give a vibe as if he comes from space, while another group was that of the famous Sahalin children.

Since the man in the white suit was away from the two main groups and off on his own, Amir and Emmerich decided to talk to him first. They had no idea who he was, but it was suspicious he was not sticking to the Zeon/Federation split everyone else was.

He could see them approaching and so the man smiled at them and greeted them both.

"I am Mahdi Garvey. I am one of Zeon's primary financial supporters from here on Earth. It is a pleasure to meet two distinguished pilots such as yourselves."

Amir noticed a glint in his eye that makes him appear menacing, though he said nothing. The man was important and he did not want to offend him.

Emmerich nodded to the man, "Thank you, sir. We were just wondering if you had heard or know anything about what happened. Any information could help us find the perpetrator, and perhaps save more lives."

Mahdi looked over the man with Japanese ancestry and then turned to face Amir, whose features were partially those of someone from the Middle East mixed with a lighter skin tone, "I do not honestly see what all of this commotion is about. It was just a woman after all, an unimportant one at that," the man sneered and closed his dark eyes, which when open resembled two small black beads on white globes, "I cannot help but think that things would have been better if she was just not found at all given the fuss that this has caused. I was speaking to an Earth Federation pilot earlier who was saying how women have no place in war, that it was a man's world. While the blonde fellow was a bit unrefined, I must say I will agree that she had no place here."

The man's chauvinism offset both pilots, but they said nothing in response so as to not upset him.

With an air of aristocratic snootiness, Mahdi turned away from the pilots and began to leave before either could find a way of continuing the subject, "Now, I wish you well. I will be speaking with Sovereign Degwin in a moment, and have not the time to waste here. Speak to my bodyguard Kirks if you wish, he would know more about military matters than I. Find him if you please."

While the man was overall suspicious, Amir and Emmerich decided to continue talking to others since they had nothing on the man but his rudeness to truly hold against him. In addition, he was about to speak to Degwin, and they would hate to interrupt they Sovereign's plans.

As Mahdi left, another man approached them along with his own group. The man was Ginias Sahalin, and he had noticed them inquiring about the events given his lack of conversation at the time. Showing the opposite level of respect as Mahdi, the messy haired blonde man gave the pilots a polite smile and extended his hand to shake.

"Greetings, gentlemen. I hear you two are the ones who found the poor woman. A tragedy unfitting for such a triumphant occasion."

Emmerich nodded as he took the man's hand to shake, a pang in his heart as he thought about what he had stumbled across, "I could not agree more. She was a good woman," he paused as he realized he did not know the other man's name off the top of his head, "I am afraid we have not met, but you appear familiar. I am Lieutenant Emmerich."

Ginias smiled to him and gestured to himself before turning partially to gesture to another behind him, "I am Ginias Sahalin, heir to the noble Sahalin family. I am one of Zeon's leading researchers, and my sister Aina here is the test pilot for my designs."

Aina was a petite woman with sandy hair and a kind face who gave a formal curtsy as she was introduced to the two pilots, "How do you do."

Before the conversation could continue, a man behind them in a custom blue Zeon uniform spoke up.

"Sir, now may not be the best time for formalities."

Gianias sighed and brought a hand to massage his head, coughing momentarily before speaking in response, "Of course, of course," he looked to Emmerich with a frown, "I am sorry for our retainer Norris's words, but he may be right. Now is not the time to be socializing and distracting you. You have work to be doing, don't you?"

"Thank you for the consideration," Emmerich responded, glad to be saved a possible conversation if it was just going to be social. There was work to be done.

Ginias bowed to the man before the pilots left him, "I wish you luck in finding whomever has decided to kill someone at a peace conference. I will be here if you need to ask me anything or can help in any way."

After departing Ginias's presence, Emmerich and Amir spoke to a few random stray people, but came up with nothing of true interest. They took a moment to look around and try to find someone who might know something and was not embroiled in a conversation already with other important people, and they two began to regret that they could not just speak to the Federation. The Federation couldn't be trusted at a time like this, not that they even would likely talk to Zeon's soldiers.

It was after these moments of consideration that Emmerich felt a tap on the shoulder.

He turned his head to that side and saw no-one. On the other side of him, however, a voice spoke up.

"The victim was the one who debated Jamaican Dunningam of the Federation, right?"

Emmerich turned around fully to see that the speaker was Garma Zabi, who had a sad smile on his face and a wine glass in his hand. Emmerich and Amir each snapped to attention as they noticed their superior, but Garma waved a hand dismissively.

"At ease. I must say the news is quite disappointing. My sister had just taken an interest in using her talent."

Realizing that the soldiers were remaining still and quiet because of who he was, Garma tried to be a bit more personal and gave each man a handshake, which they returned awkwardly.

"I do not believe we have met in person. I am Captain Garma Zabi. My brother and lieutenant have spoken much of your abilities."

"Your brother is a good man and superior officer, sir," Amir stated sincerely. He barely knew Garma, but he was a fan like much of Zeon. He only hoped his immense reputation was genuinely earned and not inflated by propaganda.

Smiling at this, Garma revealed his reason for approaching them, "As a favor to Kycilia and I, as well as Dozle, could you look into this matter however you can? I mean, beyond just the normal once over. You were the ones who found her after all, and the last ones to see her alive."

Emmerich saluted Garma once again, "Of course, sir. We will do everything in our power to find the culprit and bring them to justice, though I am afraid it will be difficult with the Federation's presence."

That seemed to put the notably melancholy Garma at some ease, and his fake smile became partially genuine, "Thank you. I am afraid I cannot speak long though. I still need to help handle the whole matter and plan how we are going to do this with as much diplomacy as possible."

Garma turned around and began to leave, his direction being towards Kycilia and Dozle who were busy speaking in a passionate manner. Next to where Garma had been, but having stood silently during the whole conversation, was a man a full head taller than both Emmerich and Amir, appearing about six feet and a half feet tall with gaunt features. He also was wearing a custom uniform like Norris had been, likely a result of a special position. Garma turned to look at him before departing completely.

"Urabe, lend them whatever assistance they require."

The man bowed, "Of course, sir."

After Garma left, the man rose to his giant height and looked down at Emmerich and Amir. While serious looking, he gave off the same warm aura Schmitzer did when they first met him.

"I am Kosetsu Urabe, Captain of the 4th Royal Guard squad. It is a pleasure to meet you both."

The pilots introduced themselves, glad to have someone to help them. Perhaps having a Royal Guard member would result in better findings, as he was sure to have some kind of observational training the pilots did not. Furthermore he seemed nice enough, and that was much welcome after meeting Garvey.

"Things will be stalled for the time being with the murder investigation going on. No one is leaving the facility, and the grounds are going to be swept for any possible intruder or culprit," Urabe paused and sighed, "My cousin Inoue is a reporter in Zeon. Her name even rhymes with the deceased. I understand their drive to find the truth, though this has always been my worst fear for her. As Lord Garma's personal bodyguard and a soldier of Zeon, I will not rest until we have brought justice to this poor woman."

After a moment's pause, Urabe realized he had gotten a bit off topic and returned to the subject at hand.

"I will be coordinating our side's efforts. If you find anything, let me know and I will keep it confidential. Everything in this matter is need to know, after all. I can better direct our own efforts with whatever knowledge you bring me," Urabe paused before coming up with an idea, "Mind checking the crime scene again?"

Unfortunately, that idea did not turn out to be a fruitful one. Nothing more could be found by the amateur detectives, but they were met with quite the scene upon returning a good half hour later.

As they entered the gathering place again they found that the room being separated down the middle had not prevented it from having conflict. Even then, it was not a Federation-Zeon conflict, but an internal Zeon one.

Garma's bodyguard Urabe was standing across from Mahdi Garvey's previously mentioned mercenary. The two tall men are tense as they argue, with the rest of the room trying to stay out of it. Given the stiffness of the situation already, the two are not helping matters at all.

"Aren't we a bit past assuming that the Middle Eastern guy is the terrorist? I thought we left that behind in the AD era," the mercenary joked with a serious look on his face.

"Everyone's a suspect, Lieutenant Kirks. You think yourself above the investigation?" Urabe questioned rhetorically.

"No, I am just curious why you aren't talking to some of the Feddies. Only a cold hearted bastard could have killed a civilian like this, so why not talk to the lot of them?"

Urabe frowned, though he agreed personally, "We're not allowed to, so I am making sure our own forces had nothing to do with the matter. I would rather we be absolved of blame so we can then pressure them to do a thorough investigation."

"Well, for your information, I've been stuck handling a child that shouldn't have been brought here in the first place. Three to be exact. I don't know when my mercenary contract was changed to include babysitting, but finding a room to lock them in was quite possibly the most relieving moment of my life."

Kirk's frustration dissipated as Urabe glanced behind the mercenary and saw that someone had joined them. Urabe had a good idea who it was by Urabe's polite bow.

"Is this true, Mister Garvey?"

The black eyed man gave a small nod to the soldier as he finished approaching and stood a step in front of his own soldier, "Yes, Captain, it is," he turned to give Kirks a serious glare, "I was wondering where you had left them Yonem," this done, he turned back to Urabe and gave him an explanation for the situation, "One of my wives was unable to make the journey, the one I task with looking after them, and I brought my sons along to see history."

"The third one was a stowaway. Loni's crafty for a damn toddler," Kirks mumbled just loud enough that Emmerich and Amir could hear it. They had decided to hang back and listen in just in case they could pick up on anything, but they had not expected to be given insight on Mahdi's personal affairs.

With a sinister glare Mahdi turned his attention back to the mercenary, "If you would excuse my soldier, he should really see about looking after them."

"Sir—"

Not accepting the backtalk, Mahdi slapped the soldier across the face and spoke darkly to him, "You do as I say, mercenary. Remember that."

The conversation obviously over, Mahdi Garvey led Kirks away and left the pilots behind with Urabe, at which point M'Quve used the opportunity to step in as well. He approached the other three swiftly and gave a small nod of acknowledgement to them.

"Gentlemen."

Emmerich saluted his superior and realized that he might be there because the medics on the Zanzibar had found out something that could help them in their investigation, "Oh, Captain, it is good to see you. Do you know anything about what is going on with the murder?"

M'Quve gave Emmerich an unimpressed look, "Yes, but tell me, do you care to antagonize any more of our important representatives on Dozle's behalf?"

Kycilia was likely arguing with Dozle earlier about how far to go into this investigation and how to carry it out. While Kycilia likely wanted it to be done quietly, Dozle would want a more direct approach like what they had been doing for him. Same goal, different methods…and the other method made sense in some ways, Amir had to admit to himself as he thought about it. Still, he valued finding the killer first and foremost.

Emmerich was the one to speak given Amir's contemplation, "I...excuse me sir, we were only trying to solve the murder. I apologize if we have antagonized anyone, but we are trying to bring justice to the deceased."

In response to this, M'Quve leans in so that the other three are the only ones who can hear him as he drops his voice to a whisper.

"Oh do not be so naïve. I had her reported dead to make the-would-be murderer believe they succeeded. Saying she is alive would put her at further risk and preclude any opportunity we have of learning the killer's identity from her."

"You mean…" Amir started, but cut himself off so as to not ruin the secret.

M'Quve nodded and smiled to the other men.

Kinue Crossroad had been reported dead, but that had only been a deliberate act of misinformation.

"She has yet to wake, but is very much alive. You two seem to have a penchant for bringing back half dead assets just in time," he said in reference to their previous act of saving Schmitzer's life.

As soon as the words came from M'Quve's mouth, a soldier stumbled into the room loudly. All of the guards in the room twisted around to level their weapons at the newcomer, though none fired once they caught sight of him. It was a Zeon soldier who was bleeding profusely from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds to his shoulders and arms.

"Someone's—ah, some…a-attacked the Black Tri Stars and the other escorts!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: And thus begins the beginning of a huge piece of the story! I had given my players an extremely small chance of finding a certain dying reporter, basically only doing it to tie up my own loose ends. She was there to represent a proto-AEUG type of mindset (Which is why I had her debate a future Titan) and then die off like she's supposed to in 00...but my players kept that from happening as planned! In addition, we got a bit of a situation that resulted from it as demonstrated by the very end.**_

 _ **I hope you guys enjoyed, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below! If you have ideas about where this plotline will go, or even if you understood who the blonde guy Mahdi was talking about briefly was, let me know because I'm curious what you all are thinking now!**_


	9. Revil in a Titan's Power

_**A/N: I hope to hear from you all in the review section below! School's really been kicking my tail the past week or so, and hearing from you all would be great inspiration.**_

* * *

"He-he's stealing one of their mobile suits! We have to stop him!"

Urabe turns on his squad communicator and begins to shout orders while M'Quve looks worriedly around until he sees Lady Kycilia, who happens to be one of the only ones in the room not panicking. Seeing that she is fine, M'Quve calms and makes his way over to her, leaving the pilots with the Royal Guard member.

Urabe turns to both pilots and yells not out of anger but urgency, "A rogue mobile suit can ruin everything! My team is reporting that they are unable to react to it, and the other mobile suits are under attack, so return to your suits and fight!"

Not even a formal salute was given before each pilot sprinted as fast as each of them could manage towards the gate they had entered through. If someone had stolen a mobile suit and attacked the Black Tri Stars there stood a good chance that the Federation could seize this opportunity somehow and turn the tables.

The fact that the Black Tri Stars had been guarding Revil did not come across either of their minds, as it was something neither was too aware of. For all they knew, the Black Tri Stars had fumbled the ball and allowed some rogue Federation sympathizer to steal one of their suits.

* * *

When the pilots went out into the bitter cold of the Antarctic a grisly sight met them. The small army Mobile Suits that had been standing before were in a state of ruin, having received enough damage to keep them from fighting but not enough that it would have killed many if any of the soldiers. Of particular note, the blue Zaku belonging to Ramba Ral was missing both legs, yet it was in one of the best conditions of those damaged.

Hepner's Zaku-II was smoldering on the ground where it had stood. The royal guard units Zakus were in a similar state of disrepair, their being no chance that the pilots inside had survived from the massive firepower used upon them, seemingly from a Zaku's machine gun. In front of Emmerich and Amir's own Zakus were the dead bodies of their temporary pilots they had replace them, likely slain during some force rotation when they were leaving the suits, though by chance the rampage seems to have left the actual suits undamaged.

Where there once stood three Black Tri Star Zakus, now only two remained, remaining wholly unmolested much like Amir's and Emmerich's, with no sign that they even had pilots in them. It appeared that whomever had done their blitz of an assault had done so with knowledge of which suits were manned and which were not, as the ones who could have reacted were the ones taken out from what appeared to be rear attacks.

Over the radio the duo could hear the disgruntled voice of Ramba Ral, who was obviously angered about being rendered incapable of combat, "My hatch is stuck—to anyone listening, he caught us off guard and shot us all from behind before we could react! The bastard is retreating at the moment, we have no idea what he'll do if he gets away with the Zaku, so all forces capable, catch him!"

While it would have been preferable to have their replacements give instant chase, neither Amir not Emmerich had time to mourn the dead men. They could make out the retreating form of the stolen Black Tri Stars mobile suit, and fortunately it had not gone too far across the frozen tundra given that it had just finished taking out the other mobile suits. Given that they had been standing in close formation and in a near line, a sweeping arc of gunfire was able to take them out in short order.

With both Amir and Emmerich in their suits, they moved their mobile suits at full throttle to catch up. Earth's gravity was slowing both of the pilots down, with neither of them possessing any notable experience in anything but space combat, but with the aid of their mobile suits' thruster backpacks they were able to leap ahead bit by bit and close the gap between them.

The stolen Black Tri Star mobile suit was not moving at its full speed, though it appeared to be doing better the longer it moved, with its pilot growing more accustomed to its controls. The fact that they were able to adapt so quickly to it gave the impression that this pilot was skilled, though neither Amir nor Emmerich expected them to be all that dangerous of a threat given the man's obvious newness to mobile suits.

Since they were still on the same radio frequencies Amir called out to the other suit as he reached a near proximity to it, only being about a hundred yards away as he prepared his rifle, "Stop at once!"

The other suit did not stop, but it did turn around as Amir's gunfire wildly peppered the area around it. His aim had been thrown off by not raising his Zaku's arms enough, a byproduct of not yet fully understanding the effects of gravity. The enemy mobile suit returned fire with a fresh magazine of ammunition, grazing Amir's suit in what most would call beginner's luck.

Not about to let his lack of ranged proficiency stop him from taking the other mobile suit down, Amir charged at it and drew his heat hawk for melee combat. Emmerich, who had lumbered behind to a degree given his suit's lesser speed, finally caught up and aimed his bazooka to try and get a shot off before Amir engaged in the combat.

His blast sailed past the enemy mobile suit, who dodged the attack that would have just barely struck it to begin with. Whomever was inside the suit, they understood gravity far better than the Zeon pilots, something that would become more apparent as Amir drew in to swing his axe at them.

Amir's strike was lumbering compared to its grace in space combat, missing the mobile suit and instead striking down into the ice they both were standing on. With a heat hawk of their own, the enemy pilot drew it and took a swing back at Amir with a more direct and less flashy strike.

The brunt of the axe struck Amir's cockpit and sent his purple Zaku back two steps as he recoiled from it, the impact having tossed Amir around in his cockpit despite his harness because of the strength of the hit.

"Amir!" Emmerich called out to his comrade, edging himself closer but waiting for another opening to fire his own weapon.

Amir recovered soon enough to take another swing at his opponent, but not only was he suffering from his lack of affinity to Earth combat he also was impacted by having a splitting headache resulting from having just hit his head on part of his suit.

The teal haired soldier tried swinging again, aiming right for the enemy cockpit, but the other suit jerked backwards and then lunged forward once Amir's attack finished sailing through thin air. Amir's Zaku was reduced to three limbs as the enemy's heat hawk burned straight down through the arm holding Amir's melee weapon, though it was not to remain with three limbs for very long.

Emmerich watched in horror as the Black Tri Star suit then twisted its blade to cut across his partner's suit, tearing through the chassis and then partway through its leg. From there the enemy pilot slashed across to take out Amir's other leg, completely removing its support and causing it to fall down and off of its broken legs.

"Damnit!" Even more battered than before in his cockpit, Amir quietly thanked his fortune that the attack that had cut through his cockpit had not directly damaged him. Now nearly helpless before his enemy though, he was forced to resort to a desperate measure to save his life from the heat hawk bearing down on him.

The purple Zaku's backpack took a moment to power up before it sent the Zaku skidding across the ice, managing to put some moderate distance between it and the suit that had nearly destroyed it.

Emmerich took the moment to aim again and fire his bazooka, but the same flaw in Amir's aiming gripped him at that moment: his shot did not go far enough because he aimed slightly down from where he ought to have. The result was his blast hitting the place in-between Amir and the enemy Zaku, edging closer to Amir if one were to take a close look. The explosion sent Amir's suit even farther back, throwing it up on its side, but only grazed the enemy Zaku. Some shrapnel hit its mono-eye, though it did not appear to take it offline as it finished what it had been trying to do as Emmerich took aim: fire its rifle at Amir's prone suit.

The bullets were thrown off perhaps by the damaged eye of the Zaku, but some found their target and struck Amir's backpack. Emmerich realized the danger of this, since Amir's suit could go nuclear, but he began moving himself closer to it because he saw the Zaku's cockpit open. Amir was alive, and he would remove him from the danger as soon as it was possible/safe to do so.

Emmerich finally managed to mentally prepare himself for the conditions of the battle, moving his controls more than he normally would to account for the gravity weighing his suit down. His attack missed still however when the custom Zaku of the Tri Stars demonstrated its increased mobility and dodged the incoming projectile, the bazooka blast detonating harmlessly beyond where the Tri Star was.

After successfully dodging, it returned fire and managed to score a few grazing hits against Emmerich, who had braced his suit for his own attack and thus was not prepared to avoid an attack. The damage rendered one of the Zaku-II's arms useless, which meant that his weapon meant for two hands ideally was less useful that it previously had been. Acknowledging this fact was far easier for Emmerich, and so he decided on a gamble: it meant failing their objective, but perhaps living to accomplish another.

Emmerich dashed towards Amir's derelict Zaku, where Amir was standing under the cover of his mobile suit. Given the pragmatic and vicious nature of their enemy, Amir had taken cover beside his mobile suit even if it could go nuclear at any moment: he sensed on some different level that the moment he stepped out that he would be slain.

The risk of Emmerich's gambit was being shot down while retrieving Amir or possibly being caught in the explosion of his suit, but neither ended up happening: their foe had chosen for some reason to use this moment to retreat. Whether it was due to low ammunition, a desire to escape, or some other factor, Emmerich was spared from his foe's wrath.

Lowering a giant hand down for his comrade, Emmerich opened up his cockpit and called down to his comrade.

"Amir, are you alright?"

The taciturn soldier climbed on to Emmerich's suit, though his attention was wholly on the retreating mobile suit that was continuing to run away. Their forces wouldn't chase it across the Antarctic, not when they needed everything they had left to defend their leaders. With Zeon's utter failure at protecting itself from its own weapons came a harsh reality: they would be unable to negotiate as well as they had previously, since they had less of a presence to threaten the Federation with.

"It got away…"

Amir's regret would only grow worse when, as they were returning to the base, an announcement gripped every Zeon soldier with a communications device at the base.

"Attention mobile suit pilots, Revil has escaped! The Federation has their hands on him again, and he's giving a speech of some kind," the irritated voice of Char Aznable, recognizable to Emmerich and Amir due to his media coverage in past days, said. His red Zaku had not been damaged unlike nearly all of the other mobile suits, and it appeared that he had dodged an attack that had then hit Ramba Ral, taking the skilled pilot by surprise. It would go unnoted, but no signs existed that Char attempted to intervene at all in the ensuing chaos.

Over the radio another voice replaced Char's, this one being a distraught Urabe speaking directly to Emmerich and Amir, given that both were inside Emmerich's suit, "The peace negotiations are going to finish soon. To think that we came here with the upper hand…" he sighed, "Lady Kycilia has requested our presence at her Zanzibar…see you there."

* * *

Kycilia was less than pleased when the two pilots returned to her ship and were brought to stand before her. Even with a purple face mask and a silver helmet hiding the majority of her face, a fierceness was still visible in her eyes that unsettled Emmerich and irritated Amir.

"While you two were chasing that meaningless mobile suit, General Revil escaped. The blame for his escape is not on you, but the failure to assist was. I expected better from you both."

Given that neither was aware of the General's escape, they both felt resentment at how they were being saddled with some of this blame. They had chased after the mobile suit because of the danger it posed to the negotiations, but apparently that was not good enough for Kycilia. Ideally they would have stopped chasing it when it no longer became a threat, but in the heat of the moment they had lost sight of that fact.

Before either Emmerich or Amir could say something that would have their tongues removed for insubordination, Urabe knelt down with a face inflicted with absolute shame, "Lady Kycilia, I take full responsibility. I sent them out to stop the mobile suit so it could not cause any further damage. I had no idea about Revil's escape."

Kycilia appeared accepting of this blame shift, and turned her cold attention to the tall soldier, "Very well. You are dismissed, Captain Urabe. You have your duty to carry out with Garma. See to it that no further security breaches occur, and I may overlook this."

Urabe stood up and silently left, but not before saluting both Lady Kycilia and the other pilots. He gave them a quick look of sympathy on his way out, not envying their proximity to the frustrated Kycilia.

Once the bodyguard had left Kycilia spoke in an emotionless tone, as if something had mitigated her previous displeasure. The shift was so sudden that it caught both pilots off guard, though neither was about to complain, "The reporter you brought in has finally woken up. I have you two to thank for saving her life, so your performance here will be overlooked. Her publicity for Zeon can be a useful tool at this point, with the war not over. I would trade a hundred mobile suits if it means we can spin all this in a way that is favorable to Zeon."

The two pilots shared a glance at the mention of the reporter they saved. Hearing that she was awake was a good sign, and a likely indicator that she would remain stable.

Kycilia stopped their shared moment by raising her voice slightly and making their eyes dart back to her, "Do not fail me again."

"Yes ma'am!" the men responded, not desiring to incur her further wrath but also not pleased with their superior. While Emmerich partially saw why she could be angry, Amir was already left furious with his defeat and loss of a mobile suit, so being chewed out by Kycilia was nearly enough for him to vocalize his anger.

Fortunately for Amir, he held his tongue.

"There is another matter that needs to be discussed. Due to the separation of my forces with Dozle's, your squad has been disbanded and will be reassigned in the coming days," Kycilia said after a moment of silence, as if she had been waiting for one of them to make the error of voicing their discontent. When the men took this news in stride, she paused again before explaining what this meant for them, "You have four opportunities. Lieutenant Colonel Schmitzer has requested to form a new squad, known as Midnight Fenrir, that I have approved. It will be a covert task force operating under my jurisdiction, though it will be deployed on Earth and thus take direct orders from my brother Garma."

The men each nodded, taking note of the opportunity to serve with their current squad leader again. Schmitzer was a good man, and neither would mind being placed under his command again.

When Kycilia next spoke it was with a mixture of honesty and reluctance, as if someone had asked her to do something she did not want to, yet agreed with, "Your second opportunity is to join our royal guard. We now have some openings given today's proceedings, and there are few our family trusts more. You would receive an automatic rank promotion befitting of your duties, and would be brought in to serve with Zeon's finest."

That opportunity quickly overshadowed the previous offer. To serve directly with a Zabi? To be their guard and protect them from harm? Such a duty was one that a normal soldier may only ever come across once in their life, and for their charge to be Garma Zabi himself made it all the more enticing.

"Your third opportunity is to be reassigned to our research and development unit, much like how you both met. We need test pilots and their support teams if we are to continue this war, as the Federation will not remain this technology backwards forever," Kycilia looked more at Emmerich, the former mechanic, as she said that, and then to Amir as she made her last offer, "Your last option at the moment would be to join our regular forces. While this is not a glorious job, it will be a necessary one nonetheless. No special favor will be granted, nor will it be easy."

Kycilia removed folders from a platform on the bridge and held them out for the men to take and read.

"Report to M'Quve with your decision after consulting with the files. You also have permission to meet with the reporter, though only with supervision. Dismissed."

* * *

Amir stood outside the bridge of the Zanzibar after leaving Lady Kycilia. Emmerich took a few steps before realizing that he had paused outside the door. Before he could say anything Amir spoke.

"I'm going to get changed," He spoke briefly, but Emmerich heard the frustration that Amir was working to restrain.

"Well alright then. I'm going to go move my Zaku; I want to make sure it's somewhere safe," Emmerich gestured with his thumb in the direction he thought the machine was in.

"I'll meet you in the hanger, we can head out together," Amir said as he began to walk toward his room, leaving Emmerich standing outside the bridge.

Emmerich responded, but Amir had already stopped listening. Instead he was thinking back to the events earlier, while his feet moved him toward his quarters.

How could he have been so reckless? Charging in without analyzing his opponent first nearly got him killed today…SHOULD have gotten him killed. Amir balled his hands into fists. Not only did the enemy escape in one of their mobile suits, but his own suit was completely destroyed.

He reached his quarters and quickly changed into a fresh uniform, grabbing a warm coat and gloves as well. Looking back at the clothing he just removed he reached into the pocket to produce the gun he had put in there after discarding his bloodied pilot suit.

"Can't be too careful today," he thought to himself as he strapped the holster onto his belt. He also went into one of his drawers and pulled out a long sheathed knife. The sheath was black leather with gold trim and decorated with a golden Zeon insignia. Amir smiled as he thought back to his graduation from the Academy, when Jordan Turner gave him the blade as a gift. He pulled the weapon out of the drawer and strapped it onto his left calf, under his pants.

Amir stood up and quickly left, making his way down to the hanger.

* * *

Following the debriefing by Lady Kycilia, Emmerich decided to make his way back to his Zaku-II. As he stood at the entrance of Zanzibar's hangar, he took in the aftermath of the recent engagement. What had minutes prior been an awe inspiring collection of Zeonic might has been reduced to torn metal swarmed by an array of soldiers and salvage teams. With the remaining active suits called to address the situation involving General Revil, Emmerich's Zaku II was one of the few functioning mechanized units still present at the staging area.

A survey of the brown and blue suit revealed the extent of the incurred damage. The Zaku's left arm had been severed just above the elbow revealing a jagged mass of blackened armor and exposed wiring, having fallen apart after the initial hit. The salvo that struck the arm had also damaged the torso, though the armor plating had deflected the majority of the onslaught. The mere fact Emmerich was standing before his suit unscathed was a testament to the durability of the Zaku design. The smoldering husks splayed across the ice a grim reminder of its lethality.

Upon entering the cockpit, Emmerich ran a diagnostic of the suit's systems. Despite the left arm and the minor damage to the torso, the Zaku's base functions were fully intact. With slow, measured steps, the Lieutenant maneuvered the suit to the base of the Zanzibar's loading ramp. With the Principality's Armada dominating Earth's orbit, the Federation would be foolish to attempt an assault here. Even so, with Zeon's force in its current state of disarray, quick access in the event of further confrontation was vital.

Confident the Zaku is positioned in a secure, defensible location, Emmerich placed the system in standby and exited the cockpit. As he landed, he turned to take one last look at his damaged suit.

"Now to figure out what the hell is going on around here," the Lieutenant grimaced and set off in the direction of the base as Amir joined him silently, "Someone at this damned conference better know how the general managed to escape, not to mention that stolen suit..."

* * *

It was noticeable at the base that many of the soldiers and guards posted were in a state of confusion. It seemed that the Royal Guard Captains were working to end the chaos created by the mobile suit massacre and Revil's escape, but had not finished their task yet.

By the front gates on the inside were Captain Garma Zabi and Captain Urabe. They were leading the efforts of reorganizing Zeon, though the young Captain Zabi's efforts seemed to be ineffective by how he had to keep repeating his orders to some soldiers. Captain Urabe was having better luck given that he was more well known personally by the panicking soldiers who just saw half their force wiped out in such short order, with ace pilots being killed and humiliated by an unknown thief.

Garma continued to try and rally the forces to moderate success while Urabe turned his attention to Emmerich briefly. Captain Urabe continued to keep a calm and stern face as he spoke into his headset, his eyes returning with sorrow to the place where the destroyed Royal Guard mobile suits were.

"Lieutenant Emmerich, is there something you need?" the tall soldier questioned between communications.

"Captain, I've been informed General Revil has made an escape attempt amid the chaos. Have our forces been able to retrieve him?"

Urabe shook his head, "No. Before we even realized he was escaping he was already retrieved by the Federation. He just finished giving some speech about how Zeon is exhausted and unable to fight. The Federation is refusing to make peace now, and Lord Gihren intends to continue the war by conquering Earth."

Emmerich felt his heart sink. How could this day have gone so wrong? Peace and independence were within Zeon's grasp. Now, it appeared a drawn out terrestrial conflict was inevitable. The lieutenant balled his fists at the thought.

"The rogue Zaku that managed to escape was piloted by an ace. The way they were able to fend off Lieutenant Hiyento and me...it seems extremely unlikely this person wasn't extensively trained. Have all our pilots been accounted for?"

"Yes, in one way or another. Char took some of Gihren's guard and tried cutting off Revil's escape, but they were too late. Other than that, Dozle's pilots are all fine though their mobile suits are destroyed, while my entire mobile suit team was wiped out except for Char. Our security detail is still functional, but good pilots do not grow off trees. Not a single pilot missing here."

Urabe paused to think.

"It may be someone else who has somehow been exposed to a mobile suit before. The Federation is refusing to divulge any information about their pilots and soldiers posted here, so we cannot be certain it was not one of them."

Emmerich gazes momentarily at the hectic atmosphere of the base, grimacing again.

"I doesn't appear we'll be able to salvage any of this conference. Will we be pulling back soon?" He gestured back toward the gate, "My suit is still operational. Is there anything needed of me?"

Urabe gave him a sad smile, "No, not at this point. The Federation knows that even with just under half our Mobile Suits operational that we are still capable of wiping out their forces. If not for the threat of losing the important members of each side this would be a battlefield."

He turned around to see Garma, who had stopped trying to command the soldiers and was instead tending to one's severe wounds. Dozle's forces had been luckier than Garma's, but they had not escaped unscathed.

"Well, if you want, you can check around the base within the range you've been permitted previously. We have a couple hours before everything is officially over, so this may be the last chance we get to truly investigate this place. We still have not caught that damned murderer."

"Understood, Captain," Emmerich saluted the man, "Whoever is responsible shall be brought to justice."

Emmerich hesitated a moment before once again meeting Urabe's gaze.

"My apologies in advance, Captain. I know this is hardly an appropriate time to ask, but I believe you'd be the most qualified person to answer," The Lieutenant said as he assumed a more formal parade rest, "I've been informed Lieutenant Hiyento and I are to be transferred into a new unit. One of our options is to assume positions within the Royal Guard. Is there any information you could give me so that I may make a more informed decision? Any information would be greatly appreciated, sir."

"It is no trouble at all..."

His words trailed off as he turned back to the destroyed mobile suits that were being salvaged and gathered by some of the remaining Royal Guard.

"It's very ceremonial at times, like this event. However, like Shin "The Wolf" Matsunaga with Vice Admiral Dozle, we accompany the royalty into battle should they ever do so. Officially they are not supposed to directly enter a battle, given their importance, but that is not to say it does not happen from time to time, especially with Dozle's and Garma's units. Or rather, Shin Matsunaga's and my own."

He twisted back to face Emmerich and tried to bring a smile to his face again.

"I think Kycilia brought that up to you two because of what happened here. We're short a few pilots and will have to draft from other units, which could alter their structure and effectiveness. A few unattached pilots with a good record would be a perfect fit. It's a job for those who are willing to not only put their life on the line like a normal soldier, but do so without question. It is with our leaders that we can succeed in this conflict, and ensuring their safety is important."

He glanced back to Garma, who had finished bandaging the wounded soldier and was moving on to help another, "He's barely an adult, a fresh student to be exact, but I have no doubt he'll fill in the shoes of his role. He just needs a little guidance. He is the face and heart of Zeon after all."

He cleared his throat before Emmerich could comment, "The squads range from three to six depending on the deployment is generally the normal unit size. We are granted the top equipment and newest technology, as when it comes to protecting the royal family there is no room for error. As a result of our duty, our battles are usually of a greater risk than average because we are the last line of defense for our commanding officer and any enemy to get to that point has to be good. Still, my unit is deployed as much if not more than most frontline units who have access to less supplies because of Garma's tendency to lead by example and from the front."

Urabe shrugged and chuckled, "I mean, you guys seemed like soldiers I could trust with how you handled the murder investigation, so I'd be willing to sign the papers for your transfer. We're the only group that could fit both of you right now, and I assume you want to join a unit together."

Amir gave a small nod to that statement, having calmed down in his silence since the meeting with Kycilia. He had been going over the events of the day and had not really had anything he wanted to say.

"Thank you, Captain. We really appreciate that," Emmerich momentarily glanced at the unfolding chaos before addressing Captain Urabe once more, "Lieutenant Hiyento and myself seem to have lost track of much of the personnel at this conference. Would you happen to know the location of Lt. Colonel Schmitzer? We'd like to check in with him.

The Captain rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I have been so busy handling my own forces I have not even seen the Lieutenant Colonel this entire time. He might even still be on your Zanzibar."

"Understood."

As Urabe's focus returned to the conversation underway on his handset, Emmerich turned to the stoic Amir.

"Would you like to see if you can locate the Lieutenant Colonel? I'm going to head into the conference hall. I want to see if I can locate anyone who may be able to shed some light on the R&D division. It might be best if you make sure Hepner is okay as well. These past few hours have been rough," Emmerich gestures towards the Zanzibar, "But don't speak to that reporter without me. I want to be there when we're cleared to see her."

After a pause to think, Amir responded, "Will do. Let me know what you find out."

They had been failed on two fronts, but there was still tasks to be done and loose ends to tend to.

Zeon had lost a major presence in its army that day, however, given that the still recovering Tri Stars had been murdered by some man masquerading as a Zeon officer, leading to Revil's escape and the subsequent massacre related to their suits.

Not only that, but a savage man with deadly pragmatism now possessed one of their mobile suits. Amir had the feeling that he had not seen that man for the last time, but such a thought was pushed aside as he began to look ahead at what he still had to do before the conference ended.

Neither pilot knew it at the time, but the day's proceedings had given rise to the man that would one day drive fear into the hearts of many: Yazan Gable.

* * *

 _ **A/N: People who have seen Zeta, particularly the last few episodes, should know why Yazan Gable is bad news. As in, they are fortunate to be alive after fighting him bad news.**_

 _ **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below! If I hear from you guys I may be able to upload the next chapter sooner, since inspiration can always help me trump the crushing burden that is schoolwork.**_


	10. Aftermath

_**A/N:(I know the following is a lot, but please bear with me!)  
**_

 _ **Hello and welcome my many new readers! I take it I've picked up a few of you from the Spacebattles forum given that I am doing a Let's Play of Gihren's Greed there. I hope I can take this moment to give everyone a larger Author's Note than usual that I've been meaning to get around to, but have kept forgetting in one way or another!**_

 _ **(For those of you who are just readers here, you can find on the Spacebattles forum a Let's Play that you're free to interact with! I put up votes for people to participate in and determine how we'll do things, so it's a fun extra activity that also comes with some story drabbles about what happens in-game, which I intend to also start posting here.)**_

 _ **Interesting note: the Let's Play I am doing and this story aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, depending on how this one goes. I won't spoil if they do align, but I put a couple of jokes in the drabbles along those lines (namely, Jamaican's humiliation on television was mentioned). After all, Gihren's Greed shows that basically the Titans and AEUG will rise no matter what, just the circumstances are different. As I've previously mentioned, Kinue is kind of a hinting at that: as she is in this story right now she'd join the AEUG in a heartbeat, since she espouses its ideology. Just a thought for you all!**_

 _ **I also have a poll on my profile here on Fanfiction that is about what characters you want to see in future POV chapters like Degwin's previously. Go vote if there is anyone in particular you want to see!**_

 _ **As a final meta-note, I do hope to hear from you all at the end of the chapter in the reviews below! Given that we have had a sharp increase in readership, it would be very saddening for me if I don't hear from you all with all your beautiful thoughts. After all, a lot goes on in this story and I haven't heard all that much from readers, and I'd definitely like to be able to go to my former players and go like "Hey guys, a bunch of people read our stuff and thought X". Please help me by supporting the story, and help me bring them something to chew on!**_

 _ **Thanks for reading this large note, and I hope you enjoy the end to this first arc!**_

* * *

After meeting with Urabe at the base Amir entered the Zanzibar and looked around for both Ensign Hepner and the newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Schmitzer. The Colonel was not on the bridge as Amir had thought he would be, and given that Kycilia and M'Quve were discussing something in lowered voices he did not want to stay around and risk endangering himself to Kycilia's wrath once again.

While searching further he tried and did manage to find them in Ensign Hepner's room. Schmitzer was comforting the young woman while she sobbed into his shoulder, giving the appearance of a father and distraught daughter. Schmitzer noticed Amir open the door while Hepner did not, but the man did not say anything. A long silence befall the room as Schmitzer silently consoled Hepner.

After waiting a few moments Amir decided to speak.

"I apologize, I don't mean to interrupt but I wanted to check in with both of you actually," Amir said, "It's been an eventful day and I hope both of you are alright," He turned to the Lieutenant. "Sir if you don't mind I would like to speak with you when you are available."

"I was wondering if you were just going to stand there forever," Hepner quipped while rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

Schmitzer turned back to Amir with a grin, "I think I can speak with you now if you need to. I will meet you at your quarters soon, okay?"

Amir smiled softly and replied.

"I'll be in my quarters when you are ready Sir," He nodded to both of them and exited the room. He began to walk toward his quarters, taking a more roundabout way than usual to give himself time to think. His thoughts returned to the conversation he and Emmerich had with Captain Urabe earlier.

 _The Royal Guard…It would certainly be a grand opportunity. Urabe seems like a good man, and I believe I can trust him after our ordeals today._ He paused for a moment when he reached the Zanzibar's hanger. _And there is the problem of my mobile suit..._ He scowled. _Or rather what's left of it._

He turned sharply and balled his hands into fists, filled once more with rage. Amir began to walk slowly toward his quarters once more. _That pilot. Who was that pilot that so effortlessly tossed me aside and escaped with that mobile suit? A Black Tri-Stars mobile suit, I had no idea they were THAT superior to my own... Well, when I am able to get a new mobile suit, I'll redeem myself._

Amir reached his quarters and entered, sitting and thinking about the options Lady Kycilia granted them. After a while there was a knock on the door. Amir stood and answered the door and found Lt. Schmitzer standing on the other side.

Having long since left his wheelchair behind, Schmitzer had a look of constant pain as he smiled at Amir through the doorway.

"Mind if I come in, Lieutenant?"

Amir returned the smile and stepped aside.

"Of course, not at all," he said, gesturing with his arm into the room. The Lt. Colonel walked in, and Amir pulled up two chairs for them to sit on, "She's certainly gone through a lot today..." Amir paused, adding, "We all have."

Hepner had nearly been killed, and in fact had been quite fortunate to have survived the massacre unlike so many other pilots. She had seen her allies die before her eyes, powerless to save them once her suit was disabled from the assaulting mobile suit. It was a repeat of the experience on M'Quve's Musai when she saw the carnage of war firsthand.

The Lt. Colonel nodded gloomily, "I have heard the reports. I have been mainly here on the Zanzibar, but word has gotten around and the gunfire has not gone unnoticed. You hear about the Black Tri Stars? A real shame, even if they were insubordinate buffoons."

"All I know about the Tri Stars is they let one of their mobile suits get stolen," Amir said with a hint of anger in his voice, bitter over the recent battle, "What can you tell me beyond that? I've been trying to solve a murder-mystery most of the day, and the next thing I know there's a rogue mobile suit I had to go try and stop."

Schmitzer sighed and tried to make himself comfortable in his seat, "While they were escorting Revil, the General managed to escape. Before they could do much about it the three men were allegedly shot by the man who would later take one of their suits. Their leader, Gaia, limped over to an unattended suit but he and it were blown away by the hijacker."

"Well I can't say I'll miss them," Amir said with a frown after a few moments of silence, "Do you know anything about the hijacker? Does anyone know who it was?"

Schmitzer sighed again and stretched his aching back, "No word here. You might be able to find out from some of the Royal Guard, that is if they even can get anything from the Federation. I hear they are being a bit of a roadblock, what with the murder investigation of that reporter and all."

"The Federation has been less than helpful today... Emmerich and I spoke with Captain Urabe briefly after everything settled down. He didn't seem to know the identity of the pilot either... We also ended up speaking with Lady Kycilia," Amir added, as an afterthought, "Needless to say she was not pleased with how events unfolded today."

"Captain Urabe, the tall, lanky kid from the Royal Guard?" Schmitzer laughed as he remembered the name, "I must have been a good teacher if many of my pupils are higher ranked than me, or at least were until my promotion. He's a bit eccentric if I remember correctly, thinks meal rations are a fine cuisine, but about as loyal as soldiers get. Smart too, very perceptive."

The Lt. Colonel cleared his throat once he realized he was straying from the real topic, "Well, if the Federation wanted to work with us we would not be fighting them in the first place. It is a shame we cannot find the identity of either the murderer or the rogue pilot. It is a shame that another civilian has had to die on top of the millions that already have."

He grimaced at the thought of an angry Kycilia, "What could you have possibly done to anger Lady Kycilia?"

"She was angry we went after the rogue mobile suit instead of going after Revil. Of course, Emmerich and I had no idea that Revil had even escaped. The _lanky_ Captain took the blame for us, as he kind of ordered us after the mobile suit," He turned to look at Schmitzer, "I have a lot of respect for him, especially after that. But I digress. Lady Kycilia mentioned how our current force is being disbanded, understandably. She mentioned a couple of options to Emmerich and me, among them she mentioned Midnight Fenrir. Would you mind telling me more about it Sir?"

"Ahhh, yes. I just spoke to Lady Kycilia on the matter and she approved the new unit. It will be focused on specialized missions that supplement the main fighting force. Black-ops styled raids that emphasize intelligent use of terrain and equipment. Chances are, given how it is under Lady Kycilia's forces solely, that we will not have access to the most equipment, so what we are given needs to be used carefully and effectively."

The Lieutenant Colonel smiled at his former subordinate, "It would be great to have you both join, but do not feel obligated to join on my behalf."

Amir smiled back, "Thank you Sir, I appreciate the offer. I believe Emmerich and I are planning on sticking together, so we're going to figure out exactly what we want to do after we have heard more about all of our options. A rather large concern of mine at the moment is obtaining a new mobile suit, mine was... rather damaged after our encounter with the rogue suit," Amir said as his smile faded into a frown, complimented by his furrowed brow.

"It happens to the best of us. Word is that even Ramba Ral was humiliated out there today when The Red Comet moved out of the way and the attack hit Ral instead. You know about when I got shot down myself. We just have to learn to accept our losses, learn from them, and move on. That is how we humans progress after all."

He stands up from his chair and stretches again, an audible crack coming from his back, "I think I will go speak with Lady Kycilia. When you've made your decision with Emmerich let me know, okay?"

Amir stood with the Lt. Colonel, "Absolutely, we will definitely let you know Sir. And thank you again for your offer, it means a lot to me," He said with his soft smile.

The lieutenant colonel thanked Amir and departed, leaving Amir to his own devices.

Amir closed the door and paused to think back over what the Lt. Colonel had said. _It is certainly a great opportunity as well. And Schmitzer is a great man. It would be nice to continue serving with him._ It was at that moment he thought back to Ensign Hepner, and decided he was going to go in search of her, both to follow up with how she was doing after the day's ordeals, and to ask if she had heard the news about the fate of the team.

Amir turned and left his quarters, making his way to the Ensign's.

Upon reaching the Ensign's room, Amir finds that she is leaving it at that same moment.

"Can I help you?" Hepner meekly asked, her eyes barely meeting Amir's.

"Ensign, are you going somewhere? I came to see how you were doing, but I don't mean to interrupt." Amir said in response.

She shook her head and gave a small smile, "No, not really."

"Okay. I wanted to apologize for earlier, I didn't mean to intrude. I just finished speaking with the Lt. Colonel and I was wondering how you were doing. It's been quite a day for all of us," he said as he leaned against the hallway wall.

She nodded but made no other movement, "It's okay. I'm fine," she took notice of how he was not in his normal pilot uniform and grimaced, "So, how is your mobile suit? I hear you and Lieutenant Emmerich were in a battle with a stolen Zaku."

Amir frowned. "It's almost completely destroyed. It's lying in pieces somewhere out there," he points with his thumb over his shoulder, "The pilot was very skilled. I underestimated both the pilot and the mobile suit..." Amir let his voice trail off.

"Emmerich did alright. His is still standing at least," he paused and stared off at the end of the hallway for a moment, "We are both lucky to be alive. The pilot spared us to make his escape instead."

"He shot the replacement pilots you guys had," Hepner bit her lip as she remembered the events, "I didn't even know what was happening, everyone just…they…It was even worse than when our Musai was assaulted by those Salamis class cruisers. Even Lieutenant Ral was defeated."

"Emmerich and I were in the conference at the center of the facility when everything happened... We only heard as a soldier covered in blood ran in and told us," Amir tried to look Hepner in the eye, "I can only image the chaos."

Hepner turned back towards her room, "I don't envy you guys that much who go out there and fight in the front. I'm glad I'm staying on as Lieutenant Colonel Schmitzer's operator and am only a backup pilot to his new team."

"Ahh I was going to ask you about that," Amir said with a smile, "The Lt. Colonel offered Emmerich and I to be part of his group. We're still not sure about what we want to do."

"What are your options?"

"We spoke with Lady Kycilia earlier and she told us we had four options: We could join the regular military, no glory, no special treatment, just trenches and barking superiors," he said sardonically, "We could also join the Royal Guard. Emmerich and I spoke to Captain Urabe earlier, and he would be happy to have us as part of his team protecting Captain Garma. We could also join Lt. Colonel Schmitzer for his team, Midnight Fenrir. Finally we could become a part of Research and Development. That one I'm not particularly interested in, but the Royal Guard or Midnight Fenrir I think are our best options. Of course those are the two I know the most about," he smiled as he finished his last sentence, "Emmerich and I are planning to stick together I think... so we have to talk and figure out what we want to."

Hepner nodded, her face possessing a happy glow in Amir's mind, "I will be working with Schmitzer, but from what I've heard he will be working under Garma when we return to Earth on less than friendly terms. Being able to join the Royal Guard is quite possibly the best thing you two could do for your careers though. Just joining gets you a promotion. You'd be Lt. Colonels yourselves the moment you join."

"That's true. Although I'm much more interested in a new and improved mobile suit."

"New and improved? What's there that is better than a Zaku-II like what Emmerich has?"

"I've been told they improve the functionality of the suits. They are slightly more agile and powerful... I don't know much about the specifics but that's what I've been told."

"I wonder if there will be any more suits developed as the war goes on. You guys would probably get them if they do make more, I'd think. Serving the Zabis directly has that effect."

"We'll see... Hopefully this won't go on too much longer..." Thoughts flashed back to the events earlier, the bloodied soldier running into the conference, the scene outside during the chaos, and the fight with the rogue suit. Amir clenched his fists tightly, "But now the Federation has one of our best mobile suits."

Hepner shrugged at the mention of the mobile suit, "It's not as if they know the first thing about how they work on a mechanical level. It'll be months before they can even begin looking into that kind of technology, and we'll have won by then, right? There is no need to worry about that."

"We can only hope..."

Hepner took a step back into her room, "Well, thank you for coming by to check on me, but I don't want to waste anymore of your time. You should probably be out doing something productive before we leave, am I right?"

Amir shrugged his shoulders. "I'll find something to do," he turned around to walk away, before pausing. He turned his head back slightly, "I'm glad you're okay," he smiled briefly, turned, and started heading in the direction of his quarters.

* * *

During the same frame of time as Amir's meeting with Schmitzer and Hepner, Emmrich was off on his own quest for knowledge. In the Conference room he found out that things had died down, and there were barely any officials left. However, he recognized Ginias Sahalin who was drinking wine with a bored expression by one table with his sister Aina and retainer Norris. The Federation officials in the room did not appear amiable, and likely would not react well to him approaching them, so Emmerich steered clear of them.

In the corner of the room you notice the mercenary Yonem Kirks, along with what appear to be three young children. One is a crying toddler while the other two are young boys that appear about four or five. Their father was not in sight, and was likely elsewhere in the facility, leaving the poor mercenary to handle the children alone. Emmerich felt pity for him, but did not want to become involved in more of Mahdi's business than he had to.

With the Sahalins appearing unoccupied, Emmerich tested his luck with the trio, hoping they would be able to provide an account of what transpired. Following a standard valediction and retelling of the breakdown of talks, Emmerich pressed the Sahalin nobleman for info.

"...then I guess any hopes of rekindling these talks are nonexistent. Have the rest of our officials returned to their ships? Any reason you three remain here?

Ginias greeted Emmerich with a smile and an outstretched glass of wine, "No, I am afraid not. We'll have a long and bloody war in front of us it seems," he took a sip from his glass, "As for the officials, I suppose so. They didn't care to inform us about what they are doing. We came here under our own power, so we have no need to worry about them leaving without us."

Emmerich searched for an avenue of conversation. Knowing little about the two others at the table, he continued with the Sahalin Nobleman, "I'm sure a man such as yourself could be invaluable to our cause going forward. Do you think you'll continue your involvement with the Zeon military after all this?" He gestures around the mostly vacant room.

Ginias gave a laugh befitting of a nobleman, "Why of course. My family is closely tied with Zeon and its history, and I would be remiss if I did not join in assisting the creation of the new world we are bringing forth."

"I have to say I appreciate your sense of duty. Do you plan on remaining involved in the political side of this conflict? Forgive me, but you don't strike me as one who cares for this sort of thing. You seem as though you want to get as far away from this place as possible," Emmerich said with a hearty smile, "If I recall, you mentioned some sort of research position you're involved in? I take it that's more your calling."

Ginias finished his glass and handed it back to the man in custom blue uniform behind him, "My funding and research comes from Lord Gihren himself, so coming to these little excursions is a fine way of keeping connected. Why? Do you have an interest in research?"

Emmerich's eyes brightened at the question, "Actually, I do. I've always been fascinated by the engineering behind all the hardware and technology people take for granted. Heck, I've spent my entire life on a colony. I can still barely believe we're capable of such amazing feats of engineering! I guess the military and mobile suit program are just progressions of that fascination…" he realizes he was beginning to get off track, and so his voice trailed, "So, yes." Emmerich chuckled, "I guess you can say I have an interest in research."

The nobleman smirked at Emmrich in a smug fashion, "Oh really? I thought such an interest as being beyond a pilot, even one of your reputation. Still, I could always use another pilot since I do not have complete domain over my sister," he turned to Aina, who grew a sheepish grin, "My projects are not really common fare though. If you're really interested in research, have your boss be in contact with my secretary."

Emmerich was taken aback, "Wow. That's quite an offer! Thank you, sir."

Emmerich shook Ginias's hand and nodded politely at the others present, "It might take some convincing with Lieutenant Hiyento, but that's a tremendous opportunity. Hopefully, we'll see each other again before long."

After his farewell, Emmerich decided to begin working his way back towards the Zanzibar. Perhaps he and Amir would be able to get some answers from that reporter...

* * *

Emmerich burst through the door into his quarters upon his return, his mood noticeably improved from how it had been after the battle. He notices Amir.

"You'll never guess who just offered us a position! Actually, you might...Take a guess. It rhymes with...uhhhh...'Lasalin?'" His pitch rises as he attempted to sound out the word he clearly made up on the spot.

Amir raised his gaze from the book he had taken to reading while he was waiting for Emmerich to return, "...Stalin?" He said hesitantly after a moment's pause, "I'm not sure that's someone we should consider a position from," He said with a sly smirk as he returned his gaze to the text.

As he walked towards his bed Emmerich put on his best, yet still horrible, Russian accent.

"Yes, Comrade. Pack your things. We leave tonight," He half sat, half fell onto his mattress with an unsettlingly loud 'thud.'

"But really, that Sahalin guy from the conference just offered us a position in his R&D program. Think of all the cutting edge tech we'd get to play around with!" Emmerich's gaze drifted towards the ceiling as he put on a stupid grin, "Prototype mobile suits. oooooooh. aaaaaaaah."

Amir didn't look up from his book as he spoke, "That's awfully kind of him. Did he give you any specifics?"

"Not much. I think he works alongside his sister. He has an odd sense of humor, but I like him!" Emmerich threw a nearby cloth at Amir, attempting to break his concentration, "How about you, you manage to locate Hepner? How's she doing?"

Amir looked up from his book with smirk, throwing the towel on the ground and closing his book as he replied, "I managed to find both Hepner and Schmitzer."

Amir continued to tell Emmerich about the conversation he had with Schmitzer, about the Black Tri-Stars and Midnight Fenrir. He also mentioned how he spoke with Hepner, and her plans for continuing on with the Lt. Colonel.

"Wow. Decisions decisions. We should get our asses kicked more often! Look how many doors it opens!"

Emmerich lowered his voice to a more genuine tone, "Before we consider any of those, we still have the matter of our reporter friend. I'm anxious to hear what actually happened to her. Shall we see if we can talk with her?"

Amir placed the book onto the desk and stood up, his voice as cold as the Arctic's air, "Let's go."

* * *

Upon reaching the medical room of the Zanzibar, Emmerich and Amir were surprised to see that it was mostly vacant despite the warzone that had existed within the previous hours. However, there was a single patient in the area with doctors running tests by them. Two guards stood by the entrance and allowed the two pilots to enter after first recognizing them as having permission to see the patient.

Resting on a medical table, the reporter saved by the duo earlier had her eyes closed. She was breathing slowly as the two entered, though her eyes flickered at their noise. After a moment of situating herself, Ms. Crossroad looked up and gave a painful grin to the two pilots.

"I hear I have you to thank for being alive," she spoke weakly.

Emmerich put on a warm smile, "Nahhh. You can thank the surgeons for being alive. We're just the grunts who found you," he leaned on an adjacent bed, "I don't remember if we ever formally introduced ourselves during our last encounter," he brings his hand to his face as if conferring a secret, "Thanks for not tearing us up on the evening news by the way."

The Lieutenant continues, "I'm Lieutenant Emmerich and this here is Lieutenant Hiyento. We've been running around all day trying to figure out who did this to you."

The reporter covered her mouth for a moment and coughed in a wretched fashion. Her face was paler than the pilots remembered it being, and despite being alive they could tell she was not in the best of shape. They had really saved her in just the nick of time.

"Still, I'm not sure I would be alive now if you two had not found me," she returned to smiling while pulling her hand away from her face, "It is a pleasure to meet you both. I am Kinue Crossroad, a reporter for JNN. Or…well, former reporter that is"

The smile vanished, "I guess that's how this all started. The Federation pressured JNN to be more supportive of them and their narrative, and so my job was sacrificed to the political correctness gods. So my reporting days are over…"

"I wouldn't be so sure. Once you're back on your feet, I'm sure any news organization would love to have you...should you want to go back, of course. That would command some serious respect. I can see it now," Emmerich made a grand gesture with his hands, "Kinue Crossroad. Laughing in the face of danger! Stopping at nothing to bring you the truth!"

As Kinue grinned to his humor, the Lieutenant reigned himself back in, "In all seriousness, we're both extremely relieved you're okay. The worst is behind you…" he paused when the obvious reason he was there came to mind, "I hate to be so upfront, but the person who did this to you is still on the loose. Is there anything you could tell us about what happened to you? Something that could help us find the person responsible."

Kinue averted her eyes to the ground, "I couldn't go back to JNN if I wanted, and my name is probably blacklisted by the Federation. After I argued on behalf of ending the war and ceding Side 3 to Zeon I lost my position, even if my position resonated with a large population. Because of that, I wasn't able to get in to the actual peace conference, despite having been waved through the first gate due to recognition, so I approached a Federation soldier hoping to at least ask them about the peace summit…"

Her shoulders slumped and she looked up to meet Emmerich and Amir's eyes.

"I must apologize, but I'm having trouble remembering what happened, or even what the soldier looked like…that was it as far as I can remember. Whoever it was must have done it, since that's when my memory goes fuzzy."

"So you remember this person being dressed in Federation uniform? Can you recall if this person was alone?"

She nodded, "Yes, I'm sure of that much. At least when I spoke to him. Since I can't remember past that point, I can't say if there was anyone else there afterwards."

Emmerich's smile was gone, humor drained from him at what she was saying. He looked intently at the reporter, "You say you approached this person to ask about the conference. Can you recall any of the conversation? Even if it was completely mundane or ordinary."

Kinue sighed and shook her head, "No, I don't. I wish I did, but that is all I remember. I can't even recall either of you actually finding me, so I have no idea how long I was awake or how much my injuries are affecting me. I got a bullet for my troubles, as well as head trauma and extreme blood loss…"

The Lieutenant's smile returned in an attempt to console her, "That's quite alright, Ms. Crossroad. You've been extremely helpful," Emmerich hesitated for a moment as he reached into a pocket, producing the wallet he found earlier. He offered it to her while continuing his cheerful smile, "We found this as we were looking around. Take care, Ms. Crossroad. Good luck to you."

She took the photo, looking at it pensively it before looking back up to the Lieutenants, "Before you go, can you tell me if what they said about Revil is true? Did Revil really escape?"

Emmerich sighed, "It appears so. To be honest, we don't really know much more than you. That part of the reason we're trying to get to the bottom of this. For all we know, these two events could be connected."

Despite some obvious discomfort, Kinue rose herself on the bed to be sitting completely upright. The sheet she had over her fell down to reveal that her clothes had been replaced with a medical garb that covered her wounds entirely, though the two pilots could see that she also had on some spare Zeon clothing to supplement it.

"If Revil escaped, then this war is going to continue," she coughed before she could cover her mouth, though no blood came out, "More people are going to die."

Emmerich nodded, the comment needing no verbal affirmation, "What makes this so upsetting is that many of us, myself included, believed this conference would broker an agreement between us and the Federation," he ran his hand through his hair, exasperated, "I guess some things really are too good to be true."

Disheartened by the news, the reporter sinks back on the bed. She stayed silent and only nodded, her averted eyes and silence making it seem as if she is thinking.

"We'll let you get back to your rest, Ms. Crossroad. Thanks again for your time," Emmerich gestured to Amir and the two begin to exit the sick bay.

The reporter gave a quiet farewell as they left, still trapped by whatever was on her mind. Things would be wrapping up soon at the Antarctic Conference, so both pilots thought that reporting to their superior officer would be the most prudent thing to do now that they had no other tasks at hand.

The two made a quick stop at the mess hall to grab a meal and discuss the options presented by Lady Kycilia. Afterwards, they proceeded without delay to the bridge to report to their superior.

On the bridge the pilot duo found M'Quve speaking with Lady Kycilia in a hushed tone, like how Amir had found them before. Upon the entrance of the pilots, their superior officers turned to see them.

M'Quve was the one to address them, "I was just going to look for you two, or rather have someone do so for me. Have you made your decision as to where you want to be relocated?"

Emmerich cleared his throat, "We have, Lt. Commander. Lieutenant Hiyento and I have decided serving in the 4th Royal Guard Unit under Captain Urabe would be our preferred course of action."

M'Quve let out a small sigh, "Very well. I suppose passing you two off to a member of the family is not the worst course of action," he turns back to Lady Kycilia, "Do you have any objection to these two serving your brother?"

Kycilia gave a negative shake of her head, "Despite today's performance there really are few better choices. They'll require some secondary training, but we have time before we can even begin the Earth invasion that Garma has been placed in charge of now."

M'Quve turned back to face Emmerich and Hiyento, "Very well then. I will handle the paperwork when we are done here. It has been a pleasure serving with you, gentlemen."

"Thank you Sir, Lady Kycilia," Amir said saluting and making eye contact with each of the officials, "I am glad we were able to serve you well."

Before any of the four in the room say or do anything else, the room's door opened once again and someone stepped in behind the pilots. Everyone's attention turned to the new arrival, and to everyone's surprise it was the recently awoken reporter. Kinue was leaning on a crutch and breathing a bit heavily, but she gave a small salute as she stood there in the Zeon uniform used to replace her bloodied shirt.

Kycilia narowed her eyes at the new arrival, "Who gave you permission to both leave the medical wing and to enter my bridge?"

Kinue smiled weakly back at her, still holding her salute, "I left when the doctors weren't looking, and the guards didn't know I wasn't supposed to leave. No-one's posted at the bridge's door, as I assume those guards are the ones by the medical wing now."

Both M'Quve and Kycilia showed signs of exasperation at how incompetent their forces had just proved at their duties. Kinue, meanwhile, tried raising to her full height despite the crutch that obviously was not fitted for her.

"Lady Kycilia, I request that you take me with you. I won't stop reporting despite what happened. I can't if I am to honor my father, who the Federation locked away for reporting their crimes. I have to see how things go now that the war is going to continue."

Kycilia's purple mask hides whatever expression her mouth is in, leaving her scrutinizing eyes to tell what she is thinking, "Yes, I had heard about your father…I have been doing my research on you Ms. Crossroad. It is respectable that you wish to carry on your father's goals, much as a daughter ought to," Kycilia's cold look lessened, "Your name had sounded familiar when it was popularized recently in Zeon. Apparently our people are appreciating your ability to both convey their side of the story while also calling the Federation out on their lies."

Kinue appeared surprised by the news of her recent idol status in Zeon while Kycilia continued with a more relaxed expression, "You have been working for that Japanese network JNN for the past seven years to support your brother Saji, who you were left to take care of after your father was imprisoned wrongfully until his untimely death. You place the truth and your family above all else," Kycilia's expression shifts to a more critical one, "How can I trust someone who still has family on Earth? Your brother could easily be used as a tool against you should you come with us."

Kinue pauses to think before lifting an arm up to salute again, "You have my word that I will not leak information. I am not exactly on good terms with the Federation as it is, and what could I gain with giving them information they wouldn't believe? I am not so important that they would rely on using my brother against me, but I do have some value I would like to believe."

Kycilia nodded once to that, "Very well. If I am to permit you to accompany us, what can you bring of use to us? And what is this about not being on good terms with the Federation?"

"A Federation soldier tried killing me today, leaving me to die...Your men saved my life, and so I owe you all what I can give. I am a reporter, and I can see to it that your stories are recorded and known," Kinue glanced over to the pilots before continuing, "I also know how to gather information that you might need. However, I understand if you do not wish to trust me given my background."

Kycilia glances at Emmerich and Hiyento as well, "And what do you two think? Her life is owed to you after all. What opinions do you have on the matter?"

Amir saluted his superior before speaking in an objective manner, "My Lady when she first approached us at Side 3 I did not trust her, especially considering she was from Earth. However upon seeing her report I was pleasantly surprised. She shared the truth about the oppressive Federation and stood her ground against an aggressive Federation soldier. She seems like a women of her word who is looking to report the truth. It is my opinion that she could be a valuable asset to Zeon, and I believe it is worth the risk."

Kycilia accepts the report with another nod, looking back to Kinue, "Very well then. I will have you transferred under Garma's Earth Force as that is where the war will be taking place. See to it that you continue speaking as you had before, speaking critically, but do know that if you cross me you won't be found except to serve as an example. I expect you to prove yourself and to not hinder our work. Is that clear?"

Kinue saluted her again, fighting back a pained expression from the movement, "Thank you, my lady. I promise I will do my best."

Kycilia looked between the pilots and Ms. Crossroad, "Very well. You three are dismissed. We will be moving out soon, so escort Ms. Kinue to the medical wing."

Because of Revil's speech, the Antarctic Treaty ended with the Federation's morale bolstered, and so the Earth Federation began preparing itself for war once again. It would be months before Zeon would be able to muster its forces to truly invade, and when it did it would be under the leadership of Garma Zabi. While he started his campaign on Earth's surface, Amir and Emmerich went to Side 3 to prepare for their coming duties.

With direct contact with a Zabi on a daily basis, the two men were sure their fortune was up: little did they know that tragedy too was on the horizon, and that their brush with death that day would not be the last.

* * *

 _ **A/N: For any and all wondering, yes, this means that they are on a path to fight Amuro Ray in the Gundam come many months from this point. Many things will happen in the meantime though…the interesting thing about being in charge of royalty's security is that if you ever mess up at all you can kind of…change things.**_

 _ **Thank you all for reading, and I hope very much to hear from you in the reviews below! Also don't forget about the poll! In addition to whatever other thoughts you have, perhaps there will be a special prize for anyone who can guess where our campaign took its turn from here!**_


	11. Bonus: Frontline Reporting

_**A/N: In the tongue-in-cheek (at least at first) manga "Garma of the Space Island", Garma becomes depressed at the end when his family all become distant due to their political duties and he is left alone. His experiences with other kids are to be bullied (at first) and later completely submissive (they will treat him nicely solely because of his father's position). As a result, Garma ends it all crying and lonely, having been abandoned by his family and also not able to form bonds with the people his own age. Fast forward and we have Garma of MSG, who is dangerously eager to please Kycilia and his father, and whose best friend is Char, which should show that he really doesn't have too many to choose from (since Char hates him and hopes to kill him one day).**_

 _ **Fortunately, for those who have seen MSG, Garma does have someone who deeply cares about him and shows it, and that is his fiance Icelina. Here they haven't met yet, but all things come in time. I'd reckon to say that Garma's willingness to give up everything for her, even his position as heir to the Zabi family, is a result of an emotionally starved kid who is seeking to get that emotional attachment wherever he can. Be glad for Icelina, or Garma would have spent MSG in depression probably.  
**_

 _ **So we have the stage set for the protagonists' superior officer who they have a fanatical devotion towards, similar to the one Delaz (and later Gato) held towards Gihren in 0083.**_

 _ **Just some background info for you all going into this coming chapter! Hope you all enjoy, and I hope to hear from you in the review section below! This chapter is brought to you by the poll I have up on my profile about what characters you want POV chapters from, so I hope those of you who have voted thus far enjoyed, and that more of you can share your thoughts as well!**_

* * *

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

I reach into my bag and pull out a special identification badge given to me by my sponsors and give it to the man who asked.

"Kinue Crossroad, special media correspondent working for Garma Zabi at the request of Lady Kycilia."

I was on Side 3 for some time after the Antarctic Treaty, using my time mostly to go over information concerning both the Federation and Zeon so that when I returned to reporting it would be with knowledge and facts as compared to sheer bluster. Once Zeon had prepared a force in the weeks after the Antarctic Treaty to come down and invade Earth I too was dispatched to the surface.

Now the war was raging once again, and the young Garma Zabi was in charge of this front of it. I was stationed in America, where half of my ancestry comes from, but I don't particularly get the feeling I am too welcomed by the citizens. Back home in Japan I am more accepted among the common people, or at least Kycilia's agents report as much, but I haven't had as great a reception here.

Zeon's forces are another matter entirely. I am not so well known that everyone knows my name, and only half of those who do know my name have any kind of positive opinion, mostly those of the younger generation and Zeon's elements that support Garma more so than Gihren due to my criticizing of the latter and so far favorable, though not glowing, support of Garma.

The soldier looking over my ID is one of the ones who doesn't have a clue who I am, which is perfectly fine. When word broke I was nearly killed at the Antarctic Treaty I had a spike of sorts in popularity that I am quite grateful for. It served as a rallying cry for Zeon's politicians, even Gihren, to take a stand and say that the Federation was so spineless that they could in one breath condemn Zeon's dictatorship while also seeking to silence dissenting voices in their own nation. That the Federation only put on a guise of civilian control, that their politics were corrupt, and that at least the Zabis were placed into power with the express desires of their people.

I don't care for them using my near-death for their own ends, but I am not going to take pity on the Federation after what they did. I still can feel where I was shot. I still carry with me the frightening realization that the thing I said were enough to have someone have me killed.

If only I could remember whoever did the attempted murder, then maybe I could sleep better. For now all I know is that I am not safe so long as I am around the Federation army, so I have to take refuge under the Zabis if I am to survive. A less than ideal situation since I don't actually support them, but one I must accept if I am to ever see this all to its end and if I am to ever return home in something other than a body bag.

"Hey, I remember you! You showed that guy with the atrocious mustache a thing or two on tv, right?"

Well, it seems someone possesses a functioning memory at least. A soldier at the small bunker on Zeon's newest frontline of the North American front waves a hand from where he stands to get my attention. He then waves a couple other soldiers to follow him and join me by the front of the small facility.

In response to the man's referencing my debate with Jamaican, I attempt to downplay it and show some humility, "I just argued for a different platform than people are used to I suppose."

One of the newcomers tilts their head at seeing me, their arms crossing over their green uniforms, "Wait, I thought I heard you died."

Might as well clear it up for him, "A Federation officer tried killing me at the Antarctic Treaty. I was fortunate enough to have been saved by some Zeon officers attending it, which is why I'm not on the Federation's side of the battlefield."

The gruff officer who had taken a look at my identification hands it back to me and then sneers at me. He's probably not happy an outsider is here when he has a job to do, something I can understand, "Okay, so what are you here to do? Watch?"

I try to not let his sour look dishearten me, as this is my very first assignment now that I'm back on Earth and reporting from a different side of the conflict. There'll be plenty more after this, so I am not going to let a grouchy officer keep me from putting my maximum effort into this, "See how things are and possibly interview someone when there is the time."

He turns away and begins to walk away, waving a hand back to me, "Fine, just don't get in the way."

Well, I'm glad he says so, because I was given permission by Garma himself to come report on the frontline situation...glad I didn't have to play that card and royally piss him off.

Now, time to get to work and talk to the soldiers here about their experiences. If I compile enough I can use them as a basis for a special report on battlefield conditions, perhaps even swaying public support away from war.

I don't want Zeon to win, I just want for the Federation to get a treaty passed, which they chose not to do back at the Antarctic because of Revil's escape.

* * *

"This is Kinue Crossroad, reporting to you independently from one of the many warzones on Earth right now."

Well, a news studio by one of the battlefields. Garma had acquired the territory and realized that a facility lay within it that could hijack other broadcasts and play over them, so that's what we're doing. It may be a bit underhanded, but it's not as if I can ask JNN to run my material now, so I'll have to make do with what I can.

I apologize to whatever viewers I may have for interrupting their regular broadcast, and I begin speaking about the war situation in earnest, as compared to whatever Federation slanted stories they are hearing.

"After the events at the Antarctic Treaty, Zeon has begun an invasion of the Earth due to the Federation's unwillingness to make peace after the escape of General Revil…"

I bring up the various sites of battle across the world, and bring up images for the audience to see of the destruction this is bringing. My hope is to bring awareness of the overall situation and create a backlash to end the war. With Zeon's lead at the moment they will not be the one to call for it, so instead the Federation will need to be pressured into it.

Sorry, Earth Federation leaders. You shot me. This is for your soldiers you'll sacrifice to uphold your harsh grip on space.

"Leading Zeon's efforts is Garma Zabi, youngest heir to the Zabi family and a Captain in the Zeon ranks. Among Zeon's people he is an idol known for his charisma and kindness, the latter of which can be seen in his approach to the Earth invasion force he has been placed in charge of."

I say this not as a personal judgment but a reporting of fact. Zeon's people do idolize their youngest prince. Furthermore, he is taking a balanced approach to his invasion that borders on kind, as he is offering a hand in friendship to the territories he visits and has even won over some using these methods. However, the vast majority spit in the face of that approach and he has gone to take those territories without remorse. I can't say I like that he is invading, but he was willing to work things out peacefully first, which makes the Federation's refusal to judge cede its space colonies appear all the more selfish. Now they may end up losing everything as Zeon encroaches further and further.

I bring up more photos for the viewers. Urabe was off duty when I went on air and decided to help me out for fun, as well as make sure the facility was secure, so I look to him as I speak and point to photos of Garma meeting with important Federation figures such as Ronan Marcenas, as well as graphs showing the casualty reports of the invaded territories. If I undermine the Federation by making their opponent seem better, they may feel enough pressure to call for another peace negotiation. Given Zeon's current strength, or lack thereof, they can't truly press to have the Federation cede Earthbound territory, but they can press to control space.

It'll mean a dictatorship rules over space, but if it means we do not suffer more tragedies like Operation British I am willing to accept that. The Federation will be able to catch up to Zeon in technology in the next few months, at which point Zeon will be unable to restart a war...provided they have any kind of intelligence to them.

"As you can see, Garma has met with various leaders willing to make peace and arranged for treaties, peaceful surrendering of territory, and protected civilians whenever possible."

I have the images disappear from the screen behind me so that focus can come back to me. I think it's important that I stress the next part, as I am not a Zeon supporter...I am simply against the Federation right now after what they've done, and I don't want people to actually throw their lot in with Zeon. This in mind, I also have to tow a certain line since Kycilia is no doubt keeping her eye on me.

"This is not to say that there have not been consequences of this invasion. With war breaking out across the globe there have been many unfortunate losses for the civilians affected by Zeon's war of independence. Zeon has taken many lives, and while they were backed into a corner economically by the Federation and deprived of rights before the conflict, this does not make such actions just. Innocent lives should not be sacrificed for the ambitions of the Federation or Zeon, and it is important that normal citizens stand against those who would commit such acts, Federation or Zeon."

I take a moment to breathe before I reach the end of what I have prepared for this mini-report. I had jumped at the chance to try this out, so I did not have too much material with me since we only are a few weeks into this conflict.

"Ending my report, I would like to make it known that while I am broadcasting with the aid of Zeon's forces, it is not because I have defected as I am sure members of the Federation will tell you. A Federation soldier tried killing me at the Antarctic Treaty in cold blood, pardon the pun, so my options have kind of been limited. First they tried censoring me by pressuring JNN to remove me from their employ, and then they took things a step further and attempted to have me killed, no doubt for my views critical of their government, forgetting of course I was also critical of actions Zeon has made as well."

I smile to the camera and try to put on a less serious countenance. Don't want to be too depressing after all!

"I urge you all to stay away from any area that may become dangerous, and do please look out for one another. This is Kinue Crossroad signing off."

I'm hoping Saji caught this, so he can see that I'm alright.

Looking to my cameraman, I wait for the filming to end before nervously asking him.

"How'd I do?"

Urabe gave me a thumbs up as he stood up to his full height, the tall man having had to curve his back to be at the height of the camera we appropriated, "I think you did just fine. I bet there are a lot of folks out there who aren't thrilled with the Federation, but who think what Gihren did with that colony was horrible. If you draw enough support away from the Federation's efforts I'm sure Lady Kycilia will be pleased. I mean, that's why you're here, right?"

I honestly don't know. Lady Kycilia is quite the secretive woman, and I won't pretend to know how to read her yet. Still, she's not the person who got me access to this facility or gave me permission to broadcast today. I have not gotten the chance to really meet with Garma yet, but I sense that he's at least sympathetic to my way of thinking, though I could be mistaken, "Well, she's not technically my boss, so what do you think the Captain thought?"

Urabe snickered, "He's lonely enough that he loves watching himself on television, so I'd say you've fed his young ego well enough."

I gasp in mock surprise before smirking back, "Scandalous words from his personal guard."

He held his hands up defensively, though I could tell by his tone he was still just joking around, "I know, I know, but you can't fight the truth, and the truth is that Garma's a lonely kid who is now in charge of a war. Most the commanders around him are doing their best to keep him from actually doing anything, and now he's spending almost all his time in his office. I bet a nice broadcast is the highlight of his week, getting his mind off all the fighting and death."

Garma ought to be tired given all of his time on battlefield, personally leading his forces in their conflicts whenever possible, though he was only capable of so much. He really does like participating in person…

Wait, attending a battle in person? I think that could be a useful tool for more than just Garma.

I snap my fingers to highlight my thought, "I just had an idea."

"Idea?"

I nod as I explain my idea stemming from Garma's example, "Garma fights from the front despite what the other brass ask him to do. Bring me with you next time."

Urabe scoffs, obviously put off by the idea of bringing a civilian into combat, "You sure you want to be on his Gaw?"

"Your mobile suit has room for two, right?"

"Wait, what?"

* * *

I look up at Urabe's suit as he begins preparing it for launch. We are aboard Garma's command ship, a Gaw by the name of Loki, and I have received cautious permission to accompany Urabe onto this battlefield. Garma deemed it safe enough to allow my presence, but also dangerous enough that he needed to deploy his royal guard at all, so I was to accompany Urabe and the placeholders who would stand-in for Emmerich and Hiyento until they arrived.

I may be afraid, terrified even, of dying after what happened at the Antarctic Treaty, but I can't really consider myself knowledgeable of what is going on in the minds of a pilot if I don't see things from their perspective. I also trust Urabe to not die, especially since his mobile suit appears so advanced. It's like nothing I've seen before in terms of the giant machines, possessing a sleek design to it, a frame that could fold up well within a Gaw for storage, and on its legs it had wheels that could be deployed to quicken its speed on flat ground and road.

"What is this called?" I ask the pilot of the machine, who is going over some diagnostics in the cockpit.

"It's a Gekka. One of a million prototypes Zeon is working with right now, this one being related to the Gouf project as Earth specialized mobile suits," he calls me closer with a gesture, "Come take a look at the inside."

I listen and approach it. Urabe climbs inside and begins to point to various devices inside, giving them quick descriptions as if I had any idea of what he was talking about, then finally gesturing to the back of the open cockpit where there was plenty of space for me to get in. Since this suit did not have a backpack like other mobile suits, I guess it can't take off and fly, but it makes the cockpit more spacious for the time being. He had also mentioned it could eject and was a special project being undertaken by Garma's mechanics who were working on his own custom suit, which aimed to have an ejectable cockpit.

"The Gekka's cockpit is a bit like riding a motorcycle, so keep that in mind. I don't get hit all that often so it shouldn't be a problem, but if we do get hit you'll be thrown around a bit."

"It's fine. I'll manage," I nod to him as I get in the back. I am wearing a pilot's suit they had available, its colors being the complementary purple and yellow, but I must admit since it isn't fitted to me it is a little loose. I scrunched up the sleeves and pants to make it fit better, but moving into the cockpit made it come undone a bit.

Once I am inside Urabe closes the cockpit and begins his final preparations, the suit powering up and coming to life within the Gaw we were inside.

"You sure you want to do this? It's dangerous, and…"

Urabe doesn't finish what he was going to say, apparently not sure how to say it right. I get what he was getting to though...if I went out there with him, I would both be in danger and see what he could do. Since he was an ace pilot, that meant he would likely kill a lot of people.

If I am going to call myself a frontline reporter now, I can't pretend war is some pretty thing. I would rather see Urabe fight, be disgusted, and redouble my efforts than sit behind some desk and pretend like these people never died.

"Worried I'll see someone die up close?"

He lets out a long breath before nodding. He's a good man, and I appreciate that he is looking out for me, but at the same time I know what I'm doing. I'm determined to learn as much as I can, even if it is dangerous and even revolting.

"If I can get a better understanding of the conflict through experiencing it firsthand, I will," I explain to him, and this seems to convince him.

His spirits rising, a chirp over the suit's radio gets Urabe to begin moving his suit to jump from the hangar, "Well then, here we go! Hang on!"

I grip to the pilot's back tightly as his suit jumps, deploying a parachute as it falls down to the ground. The cockpit feels weightless for a moment before gravity and inertia each take hold of us again, the former dragging us down while the latter is nearly lifting us from our seats as we fall down.

The fall eases as the parachute finishes deploying and does its job, though Urabe jumps from it with a few dozen meters left to land in a clearing he had been aiming at. The thud shakes us both, but the small ache it gives me is nothing compared to what happened to me only a couple months ago.

Urabe begins silently hunting through the woods and forest brush for the Federation forces that had been engaging in effective hit and run tactics the past eleven days in this region. Other forces are deployed as well, serving as bait to draw out most of the enemies or at least determine their location, but one thing I noticed is that Garma deployed the bait maybe a bit too far away. Not by accident or error, but intentionally. He was dangling them as bait, but he obviously did not want them to come to any harm.

Hopefully the Federation would still take the bait, or else Urabe and I would be pretty isolated, even with the two Zaku-II's also from Garma's Gaw backing us up.

Urabe pulls out what he called a Heat Sword and begins stalking towards what appears to be a tank hiding inside forest greenery artificially placed atop it such as bushes and a large pile of leaves hiding its tracks.

He signals for the other two Zakus to hold back as he continues to approach the target.

Well Kinue...this is it. You're going to see someone die. Whether that's you or the Federation soldiers in that tank is yet to be determined…

Once within a hundred meters, Urabe fires some built-in vulcans at an area beyond the tank. The vulcan shots strike something I hadn't noticed and cause the what I assume was ammunition or something along those lines to explode.

This results in the tank trying to hide itself to turn its gun towards the explosion, its pilot looking for a threat but not understanding where the shot came from, and in this moment Urabe uses their distraction to strike.

His Heat Sword penetrates the tank in a single swift move, skewering it into the ground and killing all inside. I notice that Urabe had not actually heated his weapon using his suit's heating rack, so the strike destroyed it in a blunt manner, not causing a chain reaction that would cause it to explode.

"The ammunition will draw attention, but this will stall how long it takes for them to realize one of their tanks is gone," Urabe explains as he moves back into the thick forest.

I merely nod, my eyes glued to his screen that still shows the destroyed tank. At least one soldier just died...and for what? They were fighting to protect Earth, but it needn't have even become a battlefield to begin with…

I shake my head as I try to think over the pointlessness of this conflict. The sooner this war can end, the better.

"Urabe, a quarter mile ahead a group of five Type-61 tanks is waiting to ambush us, facing east," I hear Garma explain over the radio, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Great, five more.

Urabe grins at the information provided by his leader, "Understood!"

A quarter mile did not mean much in a mobile suit given its size, and soon the sight of a group of tanks similar to the last one meets our eyes. I keep quiet as Urabe lowers his suit's wheels and enters a swerving motion that will make us sweep by all of the tanks that have not seen us yet, their attention on Garma's other forces.

"That Gaw is great for getting a view on the whole battlefield," Urabe smirked as he spoke about Garma's intel. He then lifted his suits arm to fire at the entrenched tank formation.

Two of the tanks lit up in fire as Urabe passed by them, just in time for him to pull out his Heat Swod, "And even if he's just a kid," with a fast slash he severed the three remaining tanks turrets from their lower halves, "Garma's something special!"

The explosions resulting from Urabe having tossed caution to the wind in this attack made the deaths of these pilots feel less...personal. Nothing was truly left as they disappeared in a flash of light.

It didn't make thinking about it any better though.

With the main group of Federation forces taken out swiftly by Urabe, the skirmish came to an end with Garma's forces forcing the remaining enemies to surrender. I am probably going to need to take some time to decompress after today, but I feel...enlightened. There was a moment of fear I felt when we were the ones who could have been shot. That life or death sensation a soldier feels in battle, of possibly dying at any point...it's not something I want to forget.

As we wait for Garma to pick us up, Urabe begins talking with a glowing voice. He's proud of how things went, with no allied casualties, and happy that his commanding officer had done well.

"I could have worked under any Zabi, but I chose to work with Garma because I know he's got potential to do some real good some day. So," he turned around as much as he could to see me, a friendly smirk on his face, "I will protect him with my life, so he can one day be that force for change I know he can be."

Perhaps Urabe is onto something...

Before I can think of something to say, Urabe faces forward again and speaks up, "I hope those other two finish their training soon and can join us down here. I know those trainers want to make sure the men know how to do their super important job, but it won't mean much if something happens before they even get here."

I too am looking forward to seeing the two pilots again...I owe them for saving my life back in January, and I don't particularly like feeling indebted.

Realizing I had fallen quiet, Urabe pipes up again, "Anyways, how are you doing?"

"A little nauseous to be honest. That was the first time I was so close to combat…"

He nods, understanding my feeling, "Let's not make a habit of it then. I hope you got whatever you were looking for, Miss Crossroad."

"I did. Thank you."

Hopefully I can influence people to make sure more battles like this aren't necessary...an ambitious hope, maybe, but I can't do anything unless I try.

* * *

I have been living in a small town nearby the Zeon base, with the idea that I would feel better amongst the civilian population there instead of being cooped up at the base. While the idea was certainly a good one in theory, it kind of fell through in practice due to particular...resentment held towards Garma's forces in this region. He was capable of winning over some politicians and officials, as well as some people, but others were unwilling to give Zeon an inch of their support, which I can understand.

That doesn't mean I appreciate being struck across the face when heading home, as just happened moments ago.

"Traitor!"

The woman standing across from me is middle aged, and seems to certainly resent me if I can read her expression at all as well as register pain.

I stand up straight and look at her with an icy expression, not wanting to diminish myself by reacting physically or showing anger, "I apologize if you do not like the news, but one is not entitled to their own facts, only opinions."

She spits at my feet before turning and going on her way.

"You're lucky that Zeon base is so close."

With her gone, I take the last few steps and enter my new "home". It's a simple house, something Garma was able to acquire without too much hassle, but it's not the home I want to be going to.

I want to go home to Saji...I want to go home and see my father sitting at the dinner table...I want to be sitting in bed worrying about the next story I am going to have to research for JNN…

I only wanted to be like my father and find the truth that others don't want you to see. I wanted to report on what Zeon's people thought and were like too, not just what the Federation wanted us to say about them. Now? Now I can't go home. I can't help my brother go through college. I can't support him and help him become the colony engineer he wanted to become.

And because of the Federation, Saji is the only family I even have.

Not bothering to settle in at all, I head straight to my new bedroom and lay down. Bringing an arm over my head, I try not to cry as I think of what I've lost.

"Father...what do I do?"

Was reporting the truth worth losing everything? Was it worth being spat on, thought of as a traitor, when you had no choice?

Was it worth your life?

Letting my arm fall to my side, I sigh as I come to answer my own question.

Yes. It is worth it. So long as I inform others and aim to protect them with that knowledge, perhaps losing my own livelihood is worth it.

I just hope Saji can forgive me...I won't be coming home for a long time if I keep down this path.

* * *

Some time later, I receive a communication from Urabe that his boss had requested a meeting with me. It was late in the day and I had just returned from another report, so I was ready to just go to bed when I was instead called to my first meeting of any real importance with Garma. I had of course seen and spoken to him prior, just not significantly, as his mind had been so encapsulated by the war the first weeks of the invasion that he had no time to spare for anything but battle plans and actual conflict.

The door was half open when I got to Garma's office. I moved to enter when I heard him speaking to someone in his room, making me pause and wait out of view so as to not interrupt.

"Father, today we captured an important city along the Atlantic coast of North America. I think I may be getting the hang of this in some ways."

Seeing as how Degwin was on Side 3 and Garma was speaking in the detached way one did when recording something, he was no doubt creating a message to send his father. Not being one to intrude, yet still curious, I waited close enough to listen in on him but still not intrude as Garma continued to dictate to the computer he was using to record his "letter" of sorts.

"I am sometimes worried though that the troops will think poorly of me should we face any setbacks. I do not want to waste their lives if I can so help it, and I do not want to lose their trust, but balancing the need to gain territory and the risks that come with it…"

I could hear Garma sigh from his own worries, cutting himself off from that train of thought and instead taking a moment to pause and collect himself. He sounds tired, and so I doubt he really has this message too thought out.

"I'm sorry. You probably don't want to hear about all that. I'm sure Gihren talks your ear off everyday with news about the Earth invasion," his voice warms as he mentions his elder brother. While I despise the tyrant, Garma must hold memories of Gihren from before they were Zeon's autocratic rulers that were less genocide and more familial bonding, "I hope he is doing well. He must be facing a lot of stress having to coordinate so many things, but if anyone is capable of it, it's him."

Where did the Zabis find this kid? Does he even share a single drop of blood with Gihren? He makes it hard to write them all off, even if they are a family of dictators. How would things be different if it was Garma who was oldest and Gihren who was the youngest? Would we even be fighting? Perhaps we still would, but I doubt Operation British would have ever happened. Someone who pities and even sympathizes with the plight of a monster like Gihren is not the sort to order the deaths of millions.

"I'm kind of hoping that Dozle won't have too many problems and that he won't get in too many more fights. I wouldn't want his future daughter to grow up without their father, and it would break Zenna's heart. They deserve to have Dozle for many years to come…" I can almost hear Garma laugh to himself as he takes another moment to think things over. He must really be exhausted if he is doing this on his feet, "I understand why he fights so close to his soldiers though, so I won't judge him. I just hope he'll perhaps restrain himself for their sake."

I've already been decently favorable in my coverage towards Garma's efforts, but that's because he's just been making the right decisions and I couldn't criticize his efforts to conquer Earth with as little bloodshed as possible. I am beginning to see how so many in Zeon are taken in by him...he's kind and well meaning, even if his goals are to fulfill the aspirations of his family. To someone in Zeon, he must be a beacon into their future.

Now, Kinue, can you report on him in an unbiased way after seeing the human side of him and not just the political one? I'd like to think I can, but…

Well, he reminds me of Saji in some ways.

Garma next spoke with a degree of nervousness, as if something was making him feel insecure, "If you wouldn't mind, can you pass along news of my recent successes to Kycilia? She has been too busy to meet with me recently, and it's hard even getting in contact with M'Quve to pass along any messages," he finished with a tone that exudes pride and confidence, but I doubt that is anything but a front to put on for his father's sake, "I want her to know though that I'm living up to the Zabi name and making my own mark now."

Kycilia rose Garma much like I rose Saji. No wonder I'm seeing parallels between them, even if Garma is bolder and hot-blooded than my meek brother. Perhaps in another life they would be off in college together doing what college students do, but I can't ever see that happening now.

I came into this all to get a story, but now I'm in deeper than I ever meant to be. It's not like I have another course of action at this point though: the Federation forced my hand at the Antarctic Treaty. Now I'm working under someone a few years younger than me yet is in charge of a massive campaign to take over the entire Earth, all the while desperately longing for his sister's approval.

Perhaps being raised by a cold-hearted woman like Kycilia has left its mark on Garma...he's nervous when talking about her. He wants to please her, feel validated, which tells me she hasn't made him feel like he has previously. If she had, he might not be so desperate to prove himself now.

"And lastly, I know you are worried about me father, but know that I have no intention of dying. I look forward to the day I come back to Side 3 and can see you all again. It's about time we had another family portrait, especially now that Dozle will have a daughter to add in it," Garma's voice became softer as he began to wrap up his message, "Stay well, father. I will be home before you know it."

I wish I could be so confident...Revil was right after all. Zeon is exhausted, at least for the time being.

The kid playing the part of commander grew a determined voice that might actually make one believe he was an adult instead of homesick child, "I'll win this war. I have to so that this conflict was worth it. Was worth the lives of so many brave soldiers and innocent civilians."

"See you soon, Father."

This is why I hate this war.

A twenty year old kid shouldn't have to go fight and perhaps even die in a war, not when he has family to go home to. I don't even know what I would do if Saji had to fight...if he had to leave Louise and I to go fight in a war that he didn't start, that he didn't cause.

Oh Saji...I've looked after you all these years, but I don't even know when the next time I see you will be. Will you be okay on your own? You're not like Father or me. You're a pushover who wants to please others...if that doesn't get you into trouble in this war, it'll get you into trouble with that she-demon Louise. Couldn't he have picked someone who isn't such a rich brat? She walks all over him...

I shake my head and dispel any thoughts of my brother's blonde girlfriend from Europe. This isn't the time for worrying about what she's doing to him, I have a job to fulfill. I was called to this office for a reason after all, so I may as well follow through now that Garma has finished.

It takes me a few moments to gather myself and feel ready to enter, for not only did I need the time to go over what this all meant for Garma, I also wanted to give him a moment as well. Otherwise he may think I was listening in, or rude, or most definitely both. I don't regret listening though, because I think I've come to a decision.

I knock on the half-open door and hear Garma jolt across the room, papers crinkling on his desk and at least one pencil falling down and rattling off the ground.

"Captain."

Garma sat up straight in his seat and tried to compose himself from his moment of being startled. He's probably so sleep deprived from all he has to go through as leader of the Earth invasion forces, part exhausted by the work and stress and part kept up at night as the moral bones in his body conflict with the actions his faction have taken.

"Oh, Miss Crossroad, please come in," Garma gave a weak smile as I took the invitation and entered his office, "Take a seat."

It takes me a moment to realize that I cannot oblige him.

"Forgive me for saying so, but where?"

Damn. I really ought to bite my tongue more. I'm so used to speaking my mind that I just insulted the cleanliness of my superior. I mean, his office is disorganized to a degree that is almost quite impressive. Files, bins, notebooks, books, and even a random chess board are taking the places one normally would use to sit. Even the floor is no better, as papers and maps are organized there as if Garma ran out of room on his table and just continued his planning there.

He's certainly a twenty year old just out of school...I bet he had been taught cleanliness by his upbringing and his time at the military academy, but in a state of sleep deprivation he seems to have stopped caring for the moment.

Garma stood up and rushed over to the chairs across from his desk that were occupied by the chess board and some books, "Right, my apologies," he quickly stacked them atop another mess, fixing the problem at hand without actually cleaning anything. This done, he made a gesture to one of the chairs and went back to his own seat, "Sorry, this office is a bit...personalized."

A prince just acted the part of maid. I'd laugh if I wasn't already putting my tongue on a leash for my previous comment. Garma didn't seem to care that I had called out his disorganized mess, but I'm not about to try my luck too many times.

To be honest, it's not something I'm all too unfamiliar with. I've seen messy rooms quite a few times in my life, especially when Saji and I were both just kids living on our own.

"I understand. My brother Saji is a college student right now, and the last time I saw him he had his notebooks all over his room too, studying for a big test."

Garma laughed as he leant back in his chair. At this distance I could see that he was certainly exhausted. Had he even slept the night before? I wonder if he's suffering from the problems I wondered about earlier...it would certainly suit his personality, but I can't say for certain.

"If you want to see him, I could conquer Japan to arrange a meeting between you."

His voice is partially joking, I can tell that, but the rest is completely genuine and that makes me stop in my tracks.

Was that bravado, generosity, or complete naivete on his part? As if he could just easily make it so and do me such a favor. He must realize I cannot see my brother the way things are...I may be neutral personally, but the Federation won't see things that way.

No...looking at the Captain gives me another sense: he's here alone in his office instead of around dozens of people like he must be used to. Not only that, who here does Garma even know? Urabe, obviously, but Garma's seemed a bit stiff from what else I've seen.

He's like a lost, hurt puppy who someone just found on the side of a road. The dog wants someone to take them out of the rain, and they don't care who it is so long as someone is paying attention to them. Garma likely had a lifetime of shallow friends and companions, compounded by far older siblings going off to do politics...I know I tried to be with Saji whenever I could since I was all he had, but I wonder if he ever felt the same loneliness.

In any case, I am not so selfish as to take advantage of someone's own insecurities for my own gain, so I have to decline his overly gracious offer. I wonder if he even thought about the logistics of such a proposition. Not only would it change whatever strategy he had for the war, it would also likely put Saji in more danger: not only would the combat endanger him, but Saji would become a prime hostage to twist my arm with. I had been telling the truth to Kycilia in that they likely would not bother, but I am not going to test the immorality of the Federation if I can. They shot me, killed my father, and I won't let that pass along to my brother if I can so help it.

I smile him in an apologizing manner, hoping he won't feel rebuffed while letting him know the overly generous thought is appreciated, "I wouldn't want to distract the war effort for something personal like that, sir."

Realizing perhaps what he had said, Garma verbally backtracked, "I suppose you're right, but I intend to do it sooner or later, so it wouldn't be too far out of the way."

I get the feeling he's a bit out of practice with socializing with other, normal people and not just the top brass, high noble sort he's likely surrounded by at other times. It's kind of tragic for someone his age to already be so disconnected, not out of a lack of empathy or care but because he has been kept away from any kind of normal bonding. A caged canary, if I am to keep to animal metaphors.

Still, it is not my place to pity him, nor is it to talk about such matters: I was called here to discuss something, but Garma hasn't said what yet. His lack of direction can be attributed to any number of things, but perhaps the fact that he looks like he's about to fall over onto the desk is a major factor.

"So, was there something you needed, sir?"

Garma perked up as things shifted gears, "Yes, actually, I was wondering if you would mind helping me arrange a broadcasted meeting with some Federation officials. I am trying to fulfill my role as both commander and son of the Zabi family, and I can do both if I meet with the Federation and humiliate them on public television with compelling arguments and the facts that justify our cause."

That...sounds like he's taken inspiration from my debate with Jamaican. Perhaps having me around the base has made him take an interest in my methods.

Still, something he implied has to be corrected, as I like having the facts straight.

"Your cause," I correct, as I am no member of Zeon. I may be working with and under them, but their cause is not my own: they seek control of Earth, while I seek to report the truth and to, if possible, help bring an end to the conflict. Still, the decision I came to only a little while ago means that this is a golden opportunity, and so I am quite interested in seeing it through, "And I can see what I can do. Aren't you worried that they will default to arguments concerning the colony drop and gassing?"

Garma straightens himself out to a more regal pose to try and sell his next point, "I do have some degree of practice with public speaking, so I will do my best to stay on point and not let them derail me from my goals."

This said, he leans back and smirks, his eyes closing and resting as his head finds a comfortable spot on his expensive, luxurious chair. After mulling over something he lets me in on why he's grinning.

"Truth be told, I expect them to not even give me the time of day, but I can then use that as well to show that they aren't willing to even talk. Corrupt fools and the other hypocrites within the Federation won't want to open themselves to be humiliated on a public stage, not like that idiot Jamaican. Until I can force them to meet with me, I will have to win by default in the realm of arguments and ideas."

Perhaps he's not as starry eyed as I thought he was. Naive in some ways, yes, but unintelligent? No. He is from the same family as the political genius of Degwin, the raw genius of Gihren and Kycilia, and the brilliant tactician that is Dozle. Its just that when you see him and talk to him it doesn't come out in the same way theirs does: he doesn't seem like he's scheming or plotting given how genuine he acts and usually is.

Garma genuinely wants to meet with them and settle things, but he knows they won't bite and play on his terms, so he has already thought about how to use that and then make that benefit him.

I must say I am impressed, even if I hadn't expected such a thing from him.

"You sound almost like Lady Kycilia when you say that."

Garma shrugged, trying to play off how much that comparison was a compliment in his mind, "I suppose I do, though she would never directly go after them. She is the subtle one after all. One must question every action she makes, even those that don't seem to have any deeper meaning."

Yes, like assigning a reporter who is from the Federation to help Garma in his Earthbound campaign. What did Kycilia hope to accomplish with having me here in this role? An outspoken voice to needle the actions of Gihren and belittle him, undermining him? That seems like the obvious answer, though given how obvious that is I must question even that.

If I get dragged into the rivalry between Gihren and Kycilia, I may also end up as a casualty of it. I do not wish to play the part of her pawn, but if I am to pursue my own ambitions, do I have any choice but to?

I stand up and salute Garma, "Well, if that is all sir, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Permission to be dismissed?"

He stands up as well and salutes me as well with a gloved hand, "Of course. Remember, you're a civilian, so no need to act like one of the others."

Standing at his full height once again, I notice that he's far worse off physically than I originally imagined. He's dangerously thin inside his uniform, and with the movements of his back I can see pain almost finding its way to his face, back pain probably from long hours spent looking over reports and other military materials on his desk.

As I move to leave I speak again, "Goodnight, sir. You should get some rest and eat something. You won't be much good to anyone if you're stricken by illness or a lack of sleep."

I close the door behind me as I walk out, only to pause right outside his door. I've told Saji something similar on occasion...

He really is kind of like Saji in a couple ways: part-naive, but well meaning little brother who looks up to his older sister. Only I actually show Saji warmth, while I don't think Garma is as lucky with Kycilia.

Too bad he was born into a family of dictators...a misfortune of birth to have someone like that wrapped in their world.

Thinking about that...if I cannot condone Zeon because of what Gihren is doing in his leadership of it, perhaps I ought to help prop up an opposing side.

It's wishful thinking in a way, but I do have some sway. Some followers. If I can build them up to a respectable number and then use my platform to more explicitly prop Garma up as the next leader of Zeon I may be able to kill a few birds with one stone.

Forgive me, Saji. I really just keep digging myself in deeper into this mess, don't I?

The last time I took a stand, I was nearly killed, but wouldn't it be a coward's way out to not try and help others when I have the power to?

Father...you would understand, wouldn't you? You died for your beliefs. Even if I have to endanger myself, it is the duty of an intrepid reporter to find the truth even in the face of those who wish to enshroud it.

I'm no martyr though. I plan to get out of this alive, unlike my father before me.

 _Saji...be safe. I'll come back home as soon as I can...I just have to do this first.  
_

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope you will let me know what you think in the review section below! It's hard to know what to focus on when I don't hear from any of you, since I have copious notes and a million things to write about. If I know what you like, the better I can tell the story to you!  
**

 **People voted in my profile poll to see from Kinue, Garma, and Dozle the most, but since Dozle is detached from what will be the main plot for a bit I decided to focus more on those other two.**

 **If you guys want to see from a particular character's perspective, go to my profile and vote on which ones you're interested in!**

 **Thank you again for reading, and I hope you will let me know what you think in the reviews below!**


	12. Re-Entry to Earth

_**A/N: Sorry for the wait on this chapter, I've hit midterms and it is sucking my productivity into its endless void.**_

 _ **In any case, I hope you enjoy, and I do hope to hear from you in the reviews below! If I heard back from you guys it'd most definitely be easier to update!**_

* * *

After receiving months of training to become suitable members of the Royal Guard, Emmerich and Amir were finally assigned to Garma's security detail. Due to neither pilot initially being trained in the art of serving as bodyguards, it took a great deal of effort to whip them into shape that was deemed suitable by Kycilia herself, who oversaw it with interest. Arriving on Earth in mid-May, they were brought to his base of operations, the California Base strip on the Western Coast of North America. They had missed out on only a fraction of the war to come due to Zeon's meandering mobilization down onto Earth, and there was plenty of war left to see.

As the Federation was mounting a strong defense on the East coast, Garma was busying himself with taking control of the rest of North America from his foothold there. Progress was snowballing at the moment as the Earth Invasion Force began to acclimate itself to its new conditions, but was far from complete.

Upon arriving at the base the freshly trained Royal Guards were greeted by none other than Captain Urabe, who saluted them as soon as they got off the Komusai shuttle they took to land through Earth's atmosphere. They snapped him a trained salute drilled into them over past weeks, one which he returned in a far more familiar manner.

"Lt. Colonels Emmerich and Hiyento. It is good to see you again. I trust that your training has gone well?"

Emmerich gave a nonchalant shrug and groaned as he relaxed from his "They really emphasized the whole 'his life is more important than yours thing'. I never knew! Here I thought the purpose of being a member of the royal guard was to look good in our nice little uniforms."

Urabe smirked, happy that his new partner wasn't a dullard like some of the other Royal Guards he knew, "I doubt your life will be worth living if he does come to harm, so do try your best."

As the two began to catch up, Amir's attention was drawn elsewhere. He had been taught to be more perceptive in his training, as well as partially more personable to aid him in information gathering, so he was both listening to them as he scanned the area for what the situation was.

Elsewhere on the landing strip he saw three Gaws preparing to take off, with Mobile Suits packing into their shuttle bays. There were also what seemed to be small planes being put onboard, though Amir could not tell exactly what they are, having not seem them before.

During a pause in his conversation Urabe noticed Amir's split attention and smiled at them both, "Very good. Now, I would love to spend more time getting to know one another, but Lord Garma is going out to the frontlines today and we have to go right away."

Already on the way to combat? Emmerich and Amir both had to admit they were itching for the chance to take to the field again after their previous disgrace against that unknown Federation pilot. While Emmerich had let it go on a personal level, he still suffered from how it besmirched his professional pride, while Amir was quite intent on finding out who had bested him one day and getting the man back for doing so.

Sensing the fire in his icy comrade's spirit as if with a sixth sense, Urabe glanced back to Amir and gestured to the Gaw they were to board across the landing pad. At the Gaw a set of three mobile suits were being added onto it, one of which was recognizable as Emmerich's custom Zaku-II which had been loaded onto the Komusai. Amir, who had lost his custom unit, had not been granted one of his very own in punishment…but the sight of a purple Zaku-II hinted to him that perhaps that would no longer be the case.

Urabe gave his subordinate a thumbs up, "I arranged for you to have your own Zaku-II in preparation of your arrival. I do not know if you wished it to have the same color scheme as your last one, but I assumed as much."

Amir nodded in thanks, not speaking as he saw that Urabe was beginning to move towards the Gaw. They had little time to spare it seemed, and they were fortunate the Komusai arrived only a little later than intended due to bad weather. Their pilot had been scared witless by it, never having encountered such phenomena as a lightning storm before.

As the trio of guards boarded the Gaw, Urabe turned back to them and smirked, "Now this is our first mission as a team. We can work on team maneuvers and coordination afterwards, so for now do your best not to get killed okay?"

While a serious man in his own right, Amir and Emmerich felt at-ease with their new commanding officer, much as they had been with Schmitzer. He seemed like a good man, and they trusted him after he took the fall for them at the Antarctic Treaty.

Hours later, they would also trust him for his ability to carve enemy units to ribbons.

* * *

After boarding Garma's personal Gaw, the Loki, the pilots went straight to their mobile suits without first reporting to Garma. The area they would be doing battle was nearby, and they needed to be ready at a moment's notice. The two new guards took notice of Urabe's sleek mobile suit with wheels by its feet, similar to a Zaku in some ways but also possessing what seemed to be a prototype design unfamiliar to them. While the former mechanic Emmerich was hesitant to compare his lovely Zaku-II to another suit, Amir was admiring the seeming specialization of the other suit. Of particular note to him was the sword it had, in place of the Heat Hawk Zakus used. He would not mind acquiring one himself should the occasion arise.

Once Urabe was inside his mobile suit he spoke over the communicators they all had installed, "Okay, now that we are onboard we will be heading out in a moment. We will be flushing out a Federation resistance force in the area, which Garma will be leading from the front. It is our duty to protect him at all costs, and we will be deployed as needed. Do you have any questions?"

Amir murmured something quietly about Urabe's suit, not sure if he wanted to actually ask or not, but he was heard by his leader who grinned and continued to speak over his radio.

"This unit is called the Gekka. A friend of mine designed it. It's a prototype model that future land based mobile suits will be based off of. I also am using the new close ranged weapon, the Heat Sword. Lord Garma is looking into having his own mobile suit, so I am doing what I can to assist in its research."

No further inquiries were made as Emmerich was busy reacquainting himself with his suit's specific controls he had not had to use in his training often, while Amir was settling into his new cockpit and starting to like what he was finding. The Zaku had had some of its armor lightened for the sake of mobility, as if he designed it himself, something he had noticed on his way climbing into it.

Since neither of his comrades seemed to want to say anything, Urabe filled the silence, "Well then, we're off. Good luck everyone. We can do a more formal mission briefing next time around."

To the new guards it felt like only moments before they were at the designated point of enemy movement, with Urabe speaking back up to alert the others.

"Okay, our forces have been deployed and Lord Garma will be dropping us off to the south. Reinforcements should be coming from that direction, and the other Gaws and their forces will be able to handle the other fronts."

The ramp on the back of the Gaw opened and Urabe's suit deployed as the Gaw lowered itself down partway to the ground, the Gekka landing gracefully in a small clearing of the forest setting they were to do battle in. After him was Amir, who eagerly moved his Zaku off the Gaw to enter the battle. He had done his best to train for his next battle in Earth's atmosphere, and so he gently landed with the aid of his suit's back thruster. Similarly prepared for Earth combat now, unlike his previous time on the planet, Emmerich rushed after his partner and almost leapt off the Gaw in joy at having the chance to put into practice all that he had learned these past months.

Once they all landed and situated themselves on the small, to a mobile suit, clearing the group's leader commented on their terrain.

"Those trees are going to make it harder to pick up sight of enemies. Be careful, and don't let them sneak up on you."

"Roger!"

Gunfire flittered across the forest, striking trees as it aimed to take down the recently landed mobile suits, and drawing the attention of the three pilots.

For some reason, the gunfire had come from a height similar to their own suits rather than from a lower target like would come from tanks, though the follow up rounds fired from a lower trajectory gave rise to the possibility that it was due to a shift in the terrain's height or that the tanks were for some reason aiming at the mobile suits' cockpits rather than their vulnerable legs that, if crippled, would disable the machine in Earth's gravity.

Amir wasted no time in firing back, taking his heat hawk out in one hand of his Zaku-II and firing into the unknown depths of the forest where their enemy awaited them.

Having been deployed with his bazooka, Emmerich took a position at the back while Urabe and Amir both surged forward. He fired into the forest beyond his comrades with the sole intention of rooting out their enemies and showing them in the thick brush.

When the explosion went off, he did not expect to see a Federation colored Zaku-II rush out of the destroyed area, their 120mm rifle leveled at the approaching Amir and ready to fire.

Zeon's intelligence agents had failed to report such a discovery, and so Garma's escort found themselves in a suddenly difficult battle as they went from expecting mere tanks and air support to battling mobile suits much like their own.

The Federation was not supposed to have mobile suits, that's what report after report said…but it appeared that things were starting to change. How soon would the Federation be able to field its own kinds of mobile suits, armed with the Federation's better funded and researched technology?

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry the chapter is not too long, but doing it in this smaller chunk was far easier after all the writing I've been doing recently. Besides, it's not as if I get anything it seems for writing anything longer, so I may do some shorter chapters like this in the future. Also remember to do the poll on my userpage to vote for characters you want more POV chapters from!**_

 _ **I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to hear your though** **ts in the** **reviews below! They'd be very much appreciated and would help support the story quite immensely!**_


	13. Feddy Suits vs Zeke Suits

_**A/N: I hope to hear from you guys in the reviews below! After all, we've had a sharp increase in readership and I still don't know what any of you think. You're also free to go to my profile page and do the poll I have listed at the top for future POV character chapters you want done!**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy, and I hope to hear your thoughts below!**_

* * *

"Amir, watch out!"

Emmerich's desperate cry was just in time for Amir to twist around and see the Federation mobile suit beginning to fire at him. He had already begun to turn that way, having sensed something he could not exactly explain right before Emmerich called his attention to it further and caused him to speed up in reacting. A hail of bullets narrowly clipped the lightly armored Zaku-II, purple paint chipping off on part of the arm where it was scratched but not otherwise damaged.

Amir closed the remaining distance and took an arcing swipe at the Federation Zaku, preventing it from dodging since it had a tree to its back at that moment and by attacking horizontally it was kept from dodging side to side. This, in conjunction with the Federation's inexperience with mobile suits, caused the pilot inside to be cut apart by the searing power of the heat hawk wielded by a true Zaku. The ease with which it was torn apart showed that however they were constructing them, it was far from a perfect process, and it left them fragile.

As the Zaku before him fell into two halves, Amir turned around to see that Urabe was parrying the Heat Hawk of another Federation Zaku. After blocking it with his sword, Urabe twisted his sword to lift up the other mobile suit's weapon and expose their cockpit. With deadly precision Urabe stabbed through the other machine like butter. The pilot likely died an instantaneous death in the moments the blade entered and exited his suit, their nuclear reactor not going off because of the careful strike used on them.

"Knock offs?" Amir muttered as one beyond them exploded from direct contact with Emmerich's bazooka.

"Seems like it, so keep your eyes peeled for more!" his guard Captain warned, causing Amir to redouble his efforts of finding the enemy in the woods. As they began to fan out while retaining a loose formation, Urabe contacted their Gaw, "Captain, the Federation has Zakus of their own in the field!"

Spotting another Zaku flanked by two tanks, Amir threw his mobile suit into a dash forward. If he could reach them before they made sense of all the explosions occurring in the forest, he could take them out before they could fire back, "It's no matter."

Unfortunately for him, the enemy Zaku twisted around and fired wildly at him. In a normal environment Amir would have been able to move with liberty and avoid such an attack easily, but he forgot to take into account his surroundings and his attempt to dash to the side caused him to clip into a tree as he passed through a narrow cropping of them. The Federation Zaku's rifle shots hit the same arm as the ones before. Given that his Zaku had lighter than average armor the bullets tore into its limb deeply, tearing half of its elbow joint off and rendering the limb near useless. Just before he lost control of it Amir used its last moments of functionality to toss his axe over to his suit's other hand, catching it with ease due to his keen reflexes and ambidexterity. It cost him his rifle, but he was not as proficient with it as he'd have liked anyways.

"Amir!" Emmerich was caught reloading as the encounter unfolded, unable to directly respond to his friend who now was in harm's way. Fortunately for them their more experienced Captain, who had been repeating his message to Garma only to be met with static, shot out of the sky aerial reinforcements that were about to strike the purple Zaku left briefly stunned by the hits it received.

Having accounted for his environment after his initial mistake, Amir dodged powerful shots from each tank as well as the next few shots of the enemy Zaku, who had the misfortune of having their stolen weapon technology jam mid-clip. They panicked as they saw the damaged Zeon Zaku lunge forward once more, finishing what little gap still remained to cut down on the Zaku with a swipe that removed its arm and landed down in the tank to its side.

The Federation mobile suit pilot panicked and tried to use their suit's one remaining arm to draw their heat hawk in a strike that would hit Amir before he could lift his own up, but Amir, vastly more adept at close quarters combat, throttled his suit's jetpack for a moment to lift him up to swing his damaged arm into the enemy. The attack crashed across their swinging arm and into the Federation Zaku's head, knocking the suit off balance as Amir twisted his around fully before burying his axe in the opposing suit's cockpit.

As Amir kicked the other Zaku off of his weapon, Urabe called over the radio again, "They are using minovsky particles to jam us and keep their element of surprise…clever. Some of those ships I just shot down were carrying them, and they've been jamming us. I'm going to find an unaffected area to call Lord Garma. Don't go too far or we'll lose contact here because of those particles!"

"Roger…" Amir grunted over the radio. He had lost a suit last time he was out, and he wasn't keen on having this one take too much more damage, lest he suffer both disgrace and disciplinary action.

Emmerich pointed out a clearing that had not seen enemy interference yet to his superior officer, and Urabe used his suit's rapid mobility to rush to it. They could see glimpses of the Gaw flying around above, so they needed not to fear for Garma's safety, but being cut off completely from their command ship was too dangerous in a battle with so many unknowns. If the enemy had Zakus, what else might they have up their sleeves?

Amir and Emmerich group joined Urabe and formed a defensive perimeter around him as he focused on communicating with their commander, Amir having retrieved his dropped rifle and the largest broken off pieces of his suit's arm on the way back.

Having heard from Garma finally, Urabe let out a sigh of relief, "Okay, that should be the last of them in this area. Let's check on our allies and see if they need any help mopping up what's left!"

* * *

The battle did not last much longer after the three regrouped with their other allied units, for the only enemy mobile suits encountered had been the few the three Royal Guards encountered. They regrouped with their Gaw, and to Amir's surprise the pilot of the Gaw was his old friend Jordan Turner. It seemed he stayed with Garma when the Captain was put in charge of the Earth invasion, and he promised to catch up with Amir sometime back at base.

Once the fleet of Gaws and mobile suits returned to Garma's Californian Base their suits were brought into their hangar for repairs and maintenance. As Emmerich and Amir left their suits they saw a tall woman standing across from Urabe in front of his suit, with her voice quite harsh as she yelled at him.

"Silly man, what did you do to my child?"

Urabe raised his hands up in surrender to the tanned woman with blonde hair.

"Nothing too bad, I promise. I wouldn't hurt our kid if I could help it. I just needed to help the new guys out."

Urabe noticed his staring subordinates approaching and turned. He flashed a smile before pulling the woman into a side-hug of sorts that she did not seem to enjoy.

"Oh, hey guys, this here is our chief mechanic, Rakshata!"

The woman weaseled out of his arm and scowled while looking away from him, "Urabe, not in public you silly man."

The Captain chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head, "Oh, hehe, sorry. You see, I used to be her test pilot and—"

"You may be quiet now," Rakshata ordered. Emmerich snickered and hid his face with a hand unsubtly as Amir followed suit, only without the snickering which thus masked his own amusement.

Urabe quickly stopped his friendly gesture and bowed jokingly, "Yes ma'am."

Rakshata turned her attention to the two other pilots and leveled a fancy pipe at them, "Anyways, I am the one who you should approach if you have any interesting ideas for your mobile suits. I could care less for boring ones…like those ugly Zakus you brought back for me."

Emmerich gawked at the insult to his dear Zaku, while Amir was less offended by the comment due to his own frustration at how his suits kept getting damaged.

Urabe piped up before Emmerich could irritate the team's mechanic, "She is helping design Captain Garma's personal mobile suit. It's apparently going to have two shields, and after talking it over with him we've decided it also needs to have extra weapons to become a walking arsenal! Rakshata's even implementing the ejection system to increase life expectancy!"

The mechanic shrugged, "Even that is mundane compared to some of the work other researchers are doing. I suppose I cannot complain with helping design both Lord Garma and that boring M'Quve's suits...I won't forgive whoever thought of naming them 'Goufs'. Seriously? It's certainly no Zaku…at least that has a nice ring to it."

"How's the Guren coming?"

A look of obvious exasperation spread onto Rakshata's face, "My poor child is wasting away because I still need permission to send it out! You said you were going to ask the Captain, Urabe. All my hard work, and it won't even see the light of day!"

Gouf…Guren…Gekka…it seemed that there were a series of "G" named suits being worked on at the moment, and the possibility greatly enticed him to keep his mouth shut and silence his previous complaint about her disparaging his Zaku. Getting on his mechanic's good side could maybe perhaps mean he could see them in action…

"You know, I'm a Captain too…" Urabe complained.

"But you aren't the brother of that big shot Gihren, now are you?" she mocked.

Unable to hide his excitement any longer, Emmerich interrupted their little friendly spat by clearing his throat, "Excuse me miss, mind if we see the mobile suit you're talking about?"

Rakshata shrugged her eyes still focused on Urabe, "It's across the hangar. Take a look if you want."

Emmerich and Amir both took her invitation, the former out of genuine curiosity and the latter out of the hopes that whatever this machine was it could replace his Zaku. Folded up similarly to how Urabe's was capable of, the Guren did not disappoint either of them: it was very much in the developmental process, but for the most part it seemed to mirror Urabe's agile suit that had been able to navigate the forest better than either of theirs. Instead of the blue-silver of Urabe's suit though it had red as its primary color, orange as its secondary, and silver as the remaining. The body was more angled than Urabe's smooth Gekka, though the same basic parts could be recognized in each of them. Just as with the Gekka, the Guren was not fitted with a standard thruster pack on its back, instead possessing the same ejection quality that precluded the inclusion of such a system given the bulk of each.

As the two looked over its partially finished frame, Rakshata spoke up after having silently caught up to them.

"The Guren is going to be a close range mobile suit, but I can't finalize its special close-quarters weapons without field testing the actual machine first. It'll be months before it is all ready…"

The mention of close ranged combat caught Amir's ears, and he turned to face Rakshata just as she started to grow a small grin.

"You know, what could it hurt to have a pilot go out in it instead of a boring, useless Zaku?"

Urabe, who had followed behind her, frowned as he realized what the glint in her eye meant, "We could be court martialed for testing equipment in the field without authorization."

"Oh quit being such a baby, you silly man. They're fine with the Gekka I gave you, aren't they? And this is made in very much the same way," Rakshata snapped.

"That's because the Gekka is the prototype for Lord Garma's suit…not an offshoot you're hoping to toy around with."

"Fine," Rakshata rolled her eyes before looking at the two new Royal Guards, "What about you two? Interested in helping make the best mobile suit there is?"

Emmerich bit his lip as he realized that, despite his intense curiosity about these new machines that were likely among a hundred projects Zeon was working on at the moment, this was a mobile suit more geared towards his partner. He could manage in his Zaku-II just fine…but Amir probably needed something that could better suit his focus on point blank combat.

He gave Amir a glance that told him it was all his, and so Amir turned to face Rakshata and held out a hand to shake. She rose her eyebrows at him amusedly, his lack of speech but visible eagerness making up for his lack of sociability.

Rakshata shook his hand, and in doing so handed off a set of keys to him, "Now you better take care of my child. The Guren is still being developed, remember. As for its weapons, I suppose I could lend you the prototype sword I have given Urabe. Much better than that boring Heat Hawk."

Emmerich fought another snicker at her seeming obsession with her machines, as it was way beyond the attachment even he usually formed with the machines he worked on.

Desperate to not get his subordinates' hopes up too high in case Garma said no to okaying this pet project, Urabe grabbed his two pilots and began to drag them away, "Hey, Rakshata, we should probably go clean ourselves up and report to Lord Garma. I'll be back later, okay?"

"Fine, whatever. Go play knight and prince, I'll see you later anyways."

* * *

During Urabe's retreat from the quick tempered mechanic and to where he planned to freshen up, the trio ran into a familiar face. Leaving the base's communications center was Kinue, who was busy looking over some paperwork on her way out and almost did not catch sight of the three pilots until Urabe paused to wave, drawing the attention of his subordinates and her as well.

The reporter smiled as she recognized the new arrivals, "Long time no see. I hear you've been moving up in the world. Royal guards?"

Emmerich laughed and ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, you could say that! I'm glad to see you're doing well, Miss Crossroad. How are you doing here? We've caught a few of your broadcasts from Side 3."

Kinue appeared a bit flustered as she looked down at all the papers in her arms, "I'm alright. You would be surprised with how little Zeon was planning out their public relations campaign here. So much work to do, and every second counts…"

Amir nodded in understanding, "We shouldn't keep you then, Miss Crossroad."

Kinue became the one to mess with her hair next, toying with a strand that had fallen out of place with the rest, dark circles more noticeable under her eyes the more the pilots looked, "I don't mind," noticing the quirk she had picked up, Kinue stopped it and laughed similarly to Emmerich, "I still haven't really had the chance to properly thank or repay you two for saving my life, so if there's anything you two need I can help with, come find me, okay?"

They parted ways, with Kinue heading off towards the Federation town nearby the base, and Urabe commenting after her departure.

"You know, I thought her getting shot would make her less bold, but she's really taken to this whole frontline reporting thing. Can't complain with good PR though!"

Emmerich nodded, agreeing fully. Getting shot had been great for her career, though that was only because it hadn't done its intended job of killing her, "Yeah, I'm glad we found her…and that she didn't bleed to death…or die from surgery complications…or—"

"We get it," Amir curtly stated, growing tired of the explanation none of them needed.

"Hey, you're just mad that the first time we met her you basically wanted her dead, then the second time we met her you almost got your wish after you rescinded it!"

"…true, but off-topic."

Realizing they had been standing around instead of actually reporting to their superior officer like they needed to, Urabe tried grabbing the attention of the now arguing partners.

"Ahem. Garma?"

"Oh, yes. I suppose that's important if I'm going to pilot my Guren."

"...you mean Rakshata's Guren."

"I know what I said."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Don't worry you Gundam purists out there. The Guren never got to use its giant claw arm from Code Geass, but I thought it'd be fun to let my player who liked the Guren's design pilot what was essentially a re-skinned prototype Gouf. And one can't have the Guren without Rakshata, so I decided she'd be their mechanic. Seeing as how Urabe and Rakshata were two of the primary characters of my old Code Geass story, it was fun in my game to reunite them in a way.**_

 _ **Five guesses where tired as hell Kinue got that hair twirling thing from. I did it in the game session without realizing it and laughed at myself, writing down the coincidence for future reference...so here it is! And to think there was only like a 0.0003% chance of her surviving too...I swear, the people I tried killing in this game didn't die, and the ones I didn't mean to did. Guess that's on both my players and I in the end...at least fun was had!**_

 _ **Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below!**_


	14. Setting the Pieces

_**A/N: Our chapter today is a bit more relaxed than others, but don't worry, we're just setting the proverbial chess board for what is to come!  
**_

 _ **I hope to hear from you guys in the reviews below! After all, we've had a sharp increase in readership and I still don't know what any of you think. You're also free to go to my profile page and do the poll I have listed at the top for future POV character chapters you want done!**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy, and I hope to hear your thoughts below!**_

* * *

Although it was only a day after their first mission, Amir was completely focused on becoming a better pilot, and making a name for himself both within his faction, and within all of Zeon. He began the day walking around the base, and after a few minutes of walking around found himself in the mechanic hanger where he happened upon his squad leader working.

Urabe wiped his brow and turned to face Amir, "Hey, what's up?"

Amir walked up to the Captain and smiled at seeing him covered in grease and oil. "Trying to get back on good terms I see?" He said in jest.

"Good terms? Are you kidding me? She's the one making me do this. Rakshata's not even up yet and I have to do the work her team's supposed to."

Amir laughed,"Haha well Sir, when you have a moment I was wondering if I would be able to train with you. I couldn't help noticing yesterday you're quite handy with that weapon of yours. I was hoping that I would be able to learn a thing or two about close combat," he added with a smile, "When you're released from your duties."

"Sure thing. I would see about getting Emmerich to come by to do the same when he's got the chance. I can help you later today after our duties, and after I have my Gekka up and running. It would be good to give you some practice in the Guren."

"I would like that, Sir. I'm sure we could convince Emmerich if we just mention giant robots," Amir said. He looked up with a smile at the suit Urabe was working on, "Although he could probably use some more practice with dodging instead."

Urabe smirked at him while a drop of oil dripped down his face, "I wouldn't be too cocky, Hiyento. If I remember correctly you ended up even worse off that he did during your last engagement. Rakshata would kill me if I ever did that to one of her machines."

Amir laughed, "Haha, no you're right. We're all working on improving of course... Speaking of Rakshata, you wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you? I was hoping to get a better look at the Guren today," he inquired hopefully.

Urabe rolled his eyes, "She's in bed. She sleeps until afternoon usually. Feel free to take the Guren out when we train though. She's already given you permission, and she'll be happy to just look at its combat logs afterwards."

"That is great news, thank you Sir," Amir saluted, "Let me know when you are ready. I'll be in the athletic facility if you are looking for me."

The Captain acknowledged Amir's statement and Amir left the Captain to his work, heading back to his quarters to change and begin his daily workout routine.

Later that day Amir checked back in at the hanger in search of Rakshata. Fortunately, he found her…though she was scolding Urabe near his in-need-of-repairs Gekka. Amir walked up, hoping to catch what they were talking about. If he had to guess, it was when a tank they had not dealt with took a shot at Emmerich's Zaku, and Urabe intercepted the attack with his Gekka. While it would have struck Emmerich's back and possibly killed him, Urabe managed to only receive moderate damage, and since they were nearly finished mopping everything up it was not so much a fight as a slight annoyance.

Rakshata was standing over Urabe as he worked, her face marred with a deep scowl.

"Seriously, is it so hard to just not bring everything on yourself? Look what you did to my poor child!"

Urabe kept his eyes away from her while working on the machine, "Rakshata, it's my job to make sure everyone gets back home starting with Garma—"

Rakshata hit him lightly on the head with her pipe, "But it wasn't Garma! It was one of those boys who ruined their Zakus anyways!"

Urabe rubbed his head where he was sure he was going to have a bruise before turning to her with a frown of his own, "I can't just let the men under me die needlessly, Rakshata."

Rakshata crossed her arms and turned to leave, seemingly furious over what she's claiming to be a mobile suit…one that was not even destroyed or even that badly damaged.

"Fine. Whatever, silly man. Finish fixing it yourself."

On her way away from Urabe Rakshata noticed Amir.

"And what do you want?"

"I was wondering if you would be willing to let me take out the Guren for a bit. I thought you might want to see it in action," Amir said carefully, not wanting to anger the mechanic, "Perhaps we could get some data for you to take a look at."

"Fine, whatever. I gave the key to the idiot who is fixing my Gekka after he ruined it. He said you wanted to use the Guren this afternoon. Bring it back in one piece or don't come back at all, okay?"

"I wouldn't think of bringing it back any other way ma'am. You can count on me, and I have complete confidence in your ability to design an outstanding mobile suit. Captain Urabe was telling me yesterday about how much he loves the Gekka you designed. I'm sure I'll feel the same way about the Guren," Amir reassured her, sensing the hostility between the captain the mechanic.

"Good. I will check the data tonight."

Rakshata said no more before leaving the hangar, leaving Amir with Urabe again.

Amir walked up to Urabe who was still working on the Gekka, "Well I did what I could," Amir sighed before smiling, "I'm starting to think Emmerich or I should have shot you down out there instead of letting you come back with the suit."

"Oh please, I doubt you could have if you even tried," he smiled, but in a pained way, "Thanks though. Rakshata would never admit it, but the reason she's working on ejection seats is that she cares about the people in them more than the actual machines. She loves those, no doubt, but I don't think she likes hearing casualty reports. She won't stop getting mad at me until I stop fighting."

"It's a brilliant design," Amir nodded as he spoke somewhat absently, "If you don't mind me asking, what's going on between you two?"

Urabe shook his head and sighed, "You know, I honestly don't know. I don't have much going on in my life outside of my duties to Garma, but she seems to have something going on I could not even begin to understand. She is almost always yelling at me for just doing my job, but at the same time she specifically requested me to help her with all of the testing for the Gekka."

"Hmm," Amir nodded in the affirmative. "Hey, she mentioned she gave you the key to the Guren. I was hoping to take it for a spin before I actually get to training in it. Who knows, maybe it'll even cheer up Rakshata if I can give her some data to look at."

"Perhaps. After we train maybe I should talk to her again. Thanks again."

After training with Urabe for an extensive amount of time mid-day, Amir could felt that he had improved his technique sharply, as well as more used to the controls of the Guren he had been given.

Urabe met him in the hangar afterwards with a smile, "Good job today, Hiyento. You might be as good as me someday."

Amir gave a hearty laugh, "Well if we keep this up maybe in a couple of months I'll get there. It's a fantastic suit, much more agile than either of the Zaku models. Rakshata certainly outdid herself."

"Yeah, it is something. While the Gekka is effective overall, the Guren ought to be a monster when it's finished. Rakshata certainly is a genius…too bad she doesn't have the clout some of the other developers do, or else she might be able to get her designs used on a larger scale."

"Well I hope she keeps moving forward. It's a shame she's not too much of a fan of Emmerich," Amir laughed, "He's really into this whole thing. Myself, well, as long as I can get my hands on a suit I'm set."

"She's not mad at him. He's a part of our team and I took a few shots for him. That's the only reason she's at all perturbed by him. She knows about your record after all and doesn't mind because I didn't have to intercept any attacks on you."

"Fair enough," Amir said, returning his thoughts back to his training and the Guren, "Sir, would you like me to inform Rakshata, and give her the data from the Guren, or would you prefer to do that?"

"Actually, I think she might want to come pick it up herself and stew a bit. It might be good for her to just be by herself for a bit."

"Works for me," Amir calmly saluted his superior and spoke in gratitude, "Thank you again Sir for allowing me to train with you. I look forward to our future sessions."

* * *

Amir left his quarters after resting for a while in search of food. He wandered for a while, casually looking for a place to eat when he found the mess hall, his sense of the building still muddled since he was so new to it. The facility was fairly empty, as it was the middle of the afternoon, but from across the room he spotted his friend Jordan.

Jordan waved Amir over after noticing him in the near-empty room.

"Hey Amir, long time no see!" he looked over Amir's new uniform with an impressed face, "Wow, a Lieutenant Colonel! You're climbing the ladder pretty fast."

Amir smiled, seeing his old friend, "I do my job and make sure people come back alive."

"Hey if I remember correctly, we saved you guys some trouble last mission. Sorry I didn't get to see you after. It's quite the busy job being right under Lord Garma, you know?"

Amir smirked, "The help was most welcome. And don't worry about it, I completely understand. We're all quite busy on the base here. I've been running around the mechanic hanger a lot and training with Captain Urabe."

"I don't think you guys could be serving with a better captain! He's made sure our Gaw hasn't taken a real scratch since the war started, you know. I saw in the report even that he made sure your partner got out alive. What a guy!" the pilot enthusiastically noted.

"I agree," Amir affirmed, "I won't soon forget how he handled the Antarctic Treaty fiasco. He is a very talented pilot as well. There's a lot I could learn from him."

"Yeah, I'd say! Has he shown you guys any of his combat maneuvers? He's got some pretty slick moves from what I've seen, though they require teamwork to do right," Jordan laughed.

"I've only just started working with him, but from what I've seen I am certainly impressed," Amir stated, "Emmerich and I are hopefully going to get some time to train with him together."

Jordan rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Well, if you guys keep hanging out with him, watch out for that crazy girlfriend of his. I swear the only thing that gets that mechanic off her sofa is yelling at him. Don't want you two to have any _technical difficulties_ in battle!"

"She seems a bit... eccentric," Amir said hesitantly, though he soon regained his regular quiet tone, "I can't complain, she's allowing me to use the newest mobile suit she developed, the Guren."

"Wait, isn't that the thing with no flight capability? You better be careful!"

"I don't tend to use any sort of flight capacity while I'm here on Earth anyway. Besides, the suit has an auto eject system built in, so in the off chance I get hit badly I should just shoot out the back," Amir added, smiling as he gave his friend a friendly nudge, "Of course that won't ever happen."

Jordan returned the nudge, "Oh, right. Not like the Antarctic Treaty at all," he paused, "So, what are you thinking of doing around here when you're not on duty? You visit the nearby village yet?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Amir joked concerning his humiliation at the Antarctic Treaty, "I actually didn't know there was a village nearby, I've spent nearly all of mine time here so far on the base," he paused, "What is it like?"

Amir's friend paused to try and scrap together what little he did know about the area, "It's really just a Federation town that Lord Garma doesn't want to forcibly relocate. There are some things to do there, and I think we even have that reporter who you guys found living there. The only part I've really been to is the bar to be honest, though I'm not sure if you can really call it that. I don't remember if it was Chinese or Japanese, but it looked like a bar, so I went there!"

A chime from Amir's communicator indicated an incoming call. Amir put his current conversation on hold to see if it was anything important, only to instead hear a familiar voice.

"Amir, where have you been all day!? I saw that Guren suit stomping around a few hours ago. Was that you?"

Amir rolled his eyes as he spoke into the communicator, "Hey Emmerich, haha yeah that was me. Just taking it for a quick test ride. What are you up to?"

"I've been getting a feel for this base. The place is massive! The PX alone has more useless crap than one could ever ask for. I can barely believe this place has existed for so short a time. It's like a city. Anyway, I just saw the Captain. He said you two already ran through some maneuvers. You gotta let me in on those, man! Occasionally, I'll have use of my arms in the field! I want to be competent with a heat hawk."

Amir laughed, "Oh you didn't miss much. I was really just getting a feel for the Guren. I agree though, we should definitely run though some maneuvers as a team. Captain Urabe seemed to have some pretty good ideas."

"We will over the coming days. Judging by how Urabe looked, he could use a few days to catch his breath. Are you heading back to our quarters soon? We could link up for some dinner. As much as I want to cook us a meal, I could go for some delicious mess hall rations," Emmerich laughed sarcastically over the comm.

Amir laughed along with Emmerich, "I'm actually at the mess hall right now, I just got here and I ran into an old friend. You're welcome to join us of course," Amir said, giving his partner the option to join him and the Lieutenant.

"...You better save me some breadsticks."

The line abruptly went dead, causing Amir to snort at his partner's goofy demeanor.

Still, Amir smiled as he returned his communicator to his belt. He turned to Jordan, "Well it looks as though Emmerich will be joining us shortly."

"The more the merrier!"

* * *

During one of their days between missions and guard assignments, Amir and Emmerich decided to go talk with Miss Crossroad to perhaps learn more about the events that took place during the Antarctic Treaty. After a quick lunch at the mess hall, the two soldiers walked to her house in the village nearby, using directions and advice from Jordan.

Unfortunately for them, after stumbling around the village with uneasy eyes looking over them, they realized she was not home in the well-off structure she had been given to reside in. Neither soldier wanted to admit that perhaps they should have checked if she was at the base before leaving it, so they left in silence to return.

Amir and Emmerich decided to look for her at Garma's office, hoping to either catch her there while discussing some report or catching their boss who might have some inkling where his biggest media supporter might just be. They approached the office and listened for voices at the door, not wishing to intrude on their leader if he was busy.

Behind the door they heard the voices of Garma and Kinue speaking about a news report, and Emmerich and Amir both were sure Urabe was posted inside given his tendency to spend even his spare time looking after their superior. He was so careful around Garma that both men worried more for their direct superior's safety than Garma's on missions, as the day Garma made a misstep it would be Urabe who likely paid the price.

Thinking it rude to interrupt the session between the younger captain and the reporter, Emmerich and Amir elected to wait outside the office. About five minutes later, Urabe and Ms. Crossroad emerged. After nodding and saluting to Urabe, Emmerich was the first one to speak up.

"Hello again, Ms. Crossroad. Would it be alright if Lt. Commander Hiyento and I escort you to wherever you're headed?" the reporter gave him a puzzled look, prompting him to explain himself, "Nothing to worry about. We're just hoping you may be able to help us learn a bit more regarding what happened this past January. We never did solve what happened to you."

She shrugged, being careful not to move her arms too much lest she drop the papers she was cradling in them, "Sure, but I'm not sure how much you can pry from me. If I had anything of use we could have found the man already."

Urabe stayed with Garma, both of whom said goodbye to the other three as they departed. On their way back to the town the pilot duo noticed more in the town than their previous visit.

The town was quite small, containing what appeared to only be a few dozen native Federation citizens. It had houses scattered about, with what appeared to be every day, common shops and the bar that Lieutenant Jordan Turner mentioned before.

The townspeople glared at the pilots as they walked through the town, though their gaze was even more hateful towards the reporter as they all headed back towards her house.

During the trip, the three all discussed the Antarctic Treaty issue and Kinue was sorry to admit she had not remembered much more other than that she thought her would-be-murderer had blonde hair. Perhaps her memory would return more in time, but at that point she had learned little more.

Once they all reached her door, she turned to both the pilots and had a question of her own for them, "Is there anything else you wanted to ask me? Anything I could do in return for you? I still owe you two, so any way I can help I will."

As they had walked through the village, Amir had looked around and certainly paid more attention to the village itself given a bad gut feeling he had, like he could sense hostility all around them. When the group walked past a few inhabitants, Amir could tell they were staring, but only heard soft whispers as they continued through the village.

"Ms. Crossroad, do you know why the people in this village seem so angry with us, but in particular with you? I understand we are Zeon and we built a base near their town, but what I am far more concerned about is you living among them, especially considering your popularity with the Federation," he adds sarcastically.

Kinue sighed and shook her head, the subject appearing to be a sore spot for her.

"Not only am I a foreigner in their eyes, but I am a sellout. The fact that I am willing to report on Zeon, even as the 'damned rebels' are invading, has not made me popular in certain places here on Earth. Some other countries are more accepting of my reporting, but America has not proven very friendly to me."

After a brief pause, she pinched the bridge of her nose with exasperation, "And..."

Kinue let out a sigh as her shoulders slumped, "Lady Kycilia appointed me, but that has not stopped the rumor mill. It came to my attention the other day that people here are attributing my success to a personal relationship with the Zabis…some here are saying Kycilia herself, or Garma himself, because why else would someone from Earth support him? Whatever the case, they think me so ignoble to sell out my integrity in every way, and just because I report the news doesn't save me from tabloid nonsense."

Amir grinned despite himself. She seemed embarrassed at the fake scandal, but when those same rumors made their way up to someone like Kycilia…heads would roll, "Well then. I'd hate to be anywhere near Lady Kycilia when she hears that little rumor... But if I may ask, would you feel more comfortable living on the base instead of the village? I could ask Lord Garma if that would be acceptable with him. It would be safer for you... I certainly don't trust these Federation citizens..." he stopped and looked around the neighborhood which Kinue was residing in, "This place may look safe, but you can't be too careful with the war going on."

Kinue spent a moment observing the town closely. After some silence she sighed again and hung her head, "I suppose I could stay with Rakshata while you clear things with Garma. Just give me a chance to pick some things up inside."

She went inside and flicked the lights on, closing the door behind her and leaving both pilots outside. About ten minutes went by before the pilots were distracted from their vigil by the front door, both pilots having noticed some townspeople approaching.

Amir turned toward the people defensively, curious and anxious about their intentions. He looked between the townspeople, looking for some clue of their intentions as they approach.

The few townspeople, a group of about a half dozen, continued approaching until they were about ten feet from the pilots. From the small crowd one person yelled, "You Zekes weren't welcome here when you came last time, and you aren't welcome now! Get out of our town."

Other members of the crowd chimed in as well.

"Yeah, git boys!"

"Two bodyguards? That pretty boy think we were gonna hurt the traitor filth they forced us to live with?"

"Go on home back to Side 3 you monsters! Why don't you drop your own colony next time and do everyone a favor?"

Amir appeared unphased as the crowd directed their anger toward the pilots, even despite the risk of a small riot on their hands. However, he still wanted to be ready, and so his hand moved toward his hip next to his holster and he shifted his weight to a ready stance in case of real trouble. He hoped to intimidate them, as none of the crowd appeared armed with anything.

Opposite to Amir in the doorway and in methods, Emmerich addressed the group with his hands out in a disarming manner. "Listen, we'll be out of your hair in a few minutes. There's no need for this," his eyes dart around looking for any trace of a weapon.

The door behind the pilots opened and Kinue exited, her voice starting as if she was going to say something until she noticed the crowd.

Noticing the tension, Crossroad whispered to the pilots while locking her door, "We should probably try and get out of here now."

The crowd started hollering at the sight of the reporter, but they took no closer steps and made no aggressive movements.

There was a path to the base that the crowd was not blocking, allowing the pilots and Miss Crossroad safe passage to the main base. The crowd yelled after them all, but did not follow.

Once at the base Kinue stopped to ask, "So, should I come with you when you ask Lord Garma about housing me?"

The two pilots, stern from the encounter, took a quick moment to consider their options. Emmerich was the one to respond after their brief deliberation, "That'd probably be best. Let us do the talking. We've been told to report these sorts of things anyway. You know, that whole 'hearts and minds' thing. Captain Garma will be able to set you up with some comfortable amenities on base."

The three made their way back to Garma's office, the pilots ironically ending up tracing their steps once again that day. Urabe received them at the door and the trio was let into the office once more. Emmerich addressed their Zabi Captain.

"Sir, my apologies on the interruption. We've had a minor issue near Ms. Crossroad's residence."

Garma waved over from a chair situated in front of a chess game, with a vacant seat across from his own where some of Urabe's things can be seen.

"Not even an hour later and you all are back. Come, pull yourself a chair and give me the details. Urabe and I are taking a break, so you really aren't interrupting anything."

Around the room were a variety of chairs, one of which was right by the ones Garma and Urabe were using while some other nice, but quite heavy looking, chairs were available elsewhere.

The group situated itself with a fair bit of effort before Emmerich continued, "It was nothing major, sir. Just some of the civilians venting their frustrations. No one became violent, but we think it best to relocate Ms. Crossroad to a residence on base to prevent any future issue."

Garma looked to Ms. Crossroad with a frown, "I am sorry. I thought it would be best to have you among Federation civilians rather than be right here on base. I can see about finding you a place to stay here on base if you want, especially since it is getting dark and a crowd that riled shouldn't be trusted at an hour like this."

"Take your time. I can sleep in a bunk, or in Rakshata's residence if she does not mind," Kinue suggested, not really caring. She had the choice of either becoming shy after being shot or being emboldened, and she had decided the latter was where her heart lay.

Garma turned back to his game, "Well, if we're in no hurry, mind helping me beat Urabe? I don't know how to deal with those Knights of his."

Kinue was amused by the request, "It's the least I can do. Move your bishop to C4 and make him choose between his Queen and his Rook."

"Cheater!" Urabe yelled across the board, half with indignation and half amusement.

Garma playfully smirked at his guard Captain as he carried out the move Kinue suggested, "I am a military commander. I need to take the advice of my assistants in all realms of life,"

After forcing Urabe into a tough position on the game board, Garma turned to Ms. Crossroad with a perplexed expression, "So, what were the town people upset about? Is it something our forces have done?"

"They apparently don't like the press coverage I've been giving you and your efforts to end the war swiftly. My last major report was last night, that debate between you and that Federation Admiral, so I would bet that the town just heard about it."

Garma laughed nervously as he and Urabe continue to play, having seemingly forgotten about his recent interview, "Oh, right. You know, the months are beginning to blend together with how busy they are. We should work more on making more appointments like that. Who next can I defeat?"

Kinue took a relaxed position on her chair, not expecting to go anywhere soon, with the guards in the room doing the same, "I'm sure I can find some arrogant Federation official, since they are beginning to cave from their initial plan to ignore you. You'll owe me for a humiliation that spectacular again though," she reaches into the purse she brought with her, retrieving a photo familiar to the pilots from the Antarctic treaty, "Mind helping me get in touch with my brother Saji?" she paused before saying, "Move the knight in front of your king to stop yourself from being in check."

Garma nodded absently as he focused on the board, his mind barely keeping up with the conversation as he struggled to win against Urabe, "I don't have any other alternatives, but I was hoping to find a way around doing so other than flipping the board over," he glanced at the photo before gingerly taking it for a closer inspection, then returning it, "I will see what I can do. You are very big on favors, aren't you?"

Kinue turned to the pilots in the room, "Yes, I am. I still owe you guys. Anyway I can help you three out?"

Relieved the mood has lightened so quickly, Emmerich's posture has noticeably relaxed. "No, I think we're good. Just try not to frustrate my commanding officer too badly," he gestures towards Captain Urabe.

"You mean like this?" Kinue leans over towards Garma's side of the board and points to a piece, "Move that piece to D2 for check."

The game went on, and Garma eventually won marginally, a huge improvement given his initial abysmal situation, thanks to the help of his makeshift tactician. Urabe lost with good spirit, but decided to call it a night and left the rest of the group behind in the office with a yawn, "Goodnight everyone".

"Goodnight Sir," Amir snapped a salute as Urabe closes the door behind him. Turning back to Kinue, Amir rose a new topic, "Ms. Crossroad, you mentioned you would be willing to stay with the head mechanic, Rakshata. Do you know her well? Emmerich and I have only been here a short time, and I was wondering if you could tell us more about her."

"Well, I know her well enough. There aren't too many girls around base, so those there are stick out like a sore thumb. I mostly run into her with Urabe, whom she has quite possibly the most obvious crush for given her intense obsession with increasing pilot survivability after meeting him. He seems clueless overall about it though."

Garma laughed at the mention of Urabe, "I had not even thought about it that way before. I guess I'm more oblivious than Urabe."

Kinue rolled her eyes, though Garma did not see her do it, "Believe me, I'm sure we've all noticed," Amir nodded silently, having to agree with the assessment, "Still, I don't know the ins and outs of Urabe and Rakshata's weird relationship. I could look into if you want though, but I would feel bad about putting my nose in their business."

"I suppose you could consider it a favor to Captain Urabe, if you give them a hand," Amir said with a smile.

"Oh fun. More favors," she shrugged, "Fine. I'll find out what I can. Anything else you need a hand with, since I am being so generous?"

Amir shrugged back before turning to Garma, "Not unless you have anything you would like to ask, Sir."

Garma leaned back in his own chair, one hand twirling his hair, "I don't think I have anything for you two tonight. Thank you for bringing this housing issue to my attention, since I doubt Kinue would have gone asking for the help on her own. I'm oblivious, but she's as stubborn as my sister Kycilia."

Kinue got up and moved over to where Urabe had been sitting, "I can deal with a little danger, much like yourself, sir," she began placing the pieces where they belonged on the board, "Care for a game, Garma? You could use some mentoring in more than just your fledgling media career."

Garma looked over to the pilots, who he noticed were beginning to get up. It was late after all, and after a yawn Emmerich had poked at Amir to get his attention so they both could leave.

"Before you two go, should I embarrass myself by letting her dominate me in chess?"

Amir found laughter easier back then, and smiled at the reporter who he was beginning to see as another one of his friends before looking at Garma with sympathy, "Perhaps after a while you will be able to give her a good match," he paused, "Two Captains defeated by one civilian in a day, that might be a record."

"Urabe may be wise, but he's not that intelligent if his track record with Rakshata means anything, " Kinue snarked before turning to Garma, "So, do I get a rank or anything if I manage to beat a second Captain in strategy? A uniform at least?"

"I'm not sure I want to play now. I may end up owing you more favors, or be forced to resign," Garma complained, his grumbling matching his physical gesture of crossing his arms.

"Oh come on Garma, it will only be a short game and we need to discuss your next media appearance anyways. Who do you want to humiliate next? That fool Jamaican, if I can bait him into a second round? The incompetent Admiral Tianem? Gopp, who is as good a commander as a Dopp is a fighter plane?"

Garma, a fan of Dopps, scoffed at her comment but did not speak out because he knew it was really just a piece of junk compared to a mobile suit. Still, he was fond of flying ever since he began learning how to be a pilot, and so he took offense on the machine's behalf.

Kinue paused before saying in a more hushed voice, "Gihren?"

Garma shrunk back in his seat, not liking where his bold subordinate was taking things, "I—fine, I'll play if only to keep you from thinking such dangerous thoughts."

He helped set up his side of the board, leaving the two remaining pilots to their own devices as he started the game…and immediately began losing.

Amir watched the game with Emmerich, both pilots smiling as Kinue once again showed her prowess. Once the match was won, Amir spoke up to the pair. "If you'll excuse us, we will bid you both goodnight. And Ms. Crossroad, you'll have to teach me those tricks of yours at some point."

"If I could teach Saji, you should do fine. He's the opposite of Urabe, being book smart but a bit slow about everything else."

With a final salute to their leader, the pilots left the room and retired to their quarters for the night.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Kinue had a higher intelligence score at the time than Garma and Urabe, so beating them at chess was easy. I realized this when we were doing the bit in the RPG and how ironically the only person not trained in tactics was the one best at the game. Oh well. Garma just hadn't increased his intelligence score yet, not enough experience points.**_

 _ **About next chapter, because the votes are still tied between Dozle, Garma, and Kinue, I will be doing another Kinue POV chapter...why two in a row? Well I have a bunch of gigantic Garma POV chapters already written that take place later than where we are chronologically, so while I can't release them yet, he will be well represented! As for Dozle, he continues to be in space, so it'd be pretty weird to suddenly cut to him. Don't worry though, he will have his chance.**_

 _ **Oh, also, Garma's meeting with his future Icelina is next chapter/the one after (carries over). Won't that be fun?**_

 _ **Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below!**_


	15. Bonus: Crossroads of Love

_**A/N: This one is a fun little one that I've been looking forward to for awhile, but I won't really say why until next chapter. Shhhh. It's a secret.**_

 _ **No guesses for who is the focal character this chapter!**_

 _ **I hope to hear your thoughts in the review section! It really is nice hearing from you all.**_

* * *

"Garma!"

The Zabi prince stops and turns to me as I pick up my pace to catch up to him. I had heard that Garma was going to the frontlines where North America met Latin America, since Federation forces had begun to encroach upon the perimeter Garma had arranged. Garma had thought ahead to make the Federation forces approach through a narrow passageway, giving him an advantage since they were playing by his rules.

The Federation was trying to make a show of force, and so they were pressing onward even as their army was harassed and harried into an obvious trap. With their greater resources behind their military than Zeon's, the Federation's leaders seemed confident in ordering their soldiers into almost certain death.

So, of course I want to tag along and be there to take note of what was going to be a one-sided battle. This would condemn the Federation's government in the eyes of many, as it would show just how little they valued the lives of their soldiers as the small army immigrating from Jaburo was routed. Horrible, and it would be difficult to watch, but this opportunity was not one I could pass up if I meant to try to end the war in my own way.

Still, Garma gives me a confused look as I fall in a step behind him. This is not the first time I have tagged along with him on his Gaw, but I generally kept out of the way. This time I intended to be on the bridge of the vessel to see everything from his perspective. Hopefully he wouldn't pass me off on some subordinate as we strode across the airfield to approach his personal ship...though I don't think Garma would do something like that, it always a possibility. It's been a few months now and I think I know him well enough to say with confidence he wouldn't do that.

"You know, you don't need to feel obligated to come with us. You could always just have someone carry out the interviewing and recording in your place."

I shrug and try to smile, "I prefer to do things myself when possible," then, to point out the irony of his words, I gesture to the fleet of Gaws being loaded with mobile suits, "Besides, you don't need to be here either. I'm sure your forces could handle it."

He actually laughs at my observation, seeming to realize himself his own hypocrisy, "You're right about that, but I at least have something to prove," the prince's mirth disappears and a forlorn look replaces it, "You already have the respect you have earned and are due."

Garma still feels the need to prove himself? He's twenty and leading a war! A war he's doing quite well in, especially given the odds he's facing…

What kind of upbringing did he go through that he still doesn't feel like he's good enough? Sure, he's self-conscious about the nepotism that got him his post, but hasn't he proven enough that he's capable enough to deserve it? The Federation has mobile suits now, the stolen Zakus, so the fact that things haven't turned against Zeon yet is a huge feather in Garma's cap I'd say. Or, I should say 'I do say', since I spend so much time working on building up his image. I want him to look as best as possible in the eyes of both the Federation and Zeon when the day comes that he can perhaps contest Gihren for leadership of Zeon.

Garma's existing popularity has done wonders for my own image, as those who already adored him now have me touting his achievements and virtues. So my audience has swelled with their inclusion, while my reporting against the Federation has seen an increase in Garma's popularity among the Federation people, some of whom have come to see him as a better alternative to the corrupt government that has abandoned them.

So Garma feeds my popularity, and I feed his. It's a perpetual growth that, while not absolute, is certainly helping get the messages I am trying to get across get out there to as many people as possible. A mutually beneficial relationship that has resulted in Garma facing less guerilla movements and resistance than he otherwise may have in conquered territory. My audience grows his support base, and his support base gives me further credence among certain groups because of how many people I then have behind me.

There's a problem though: when Zeon's citizens are fans of you, they are fanatical fans with unparalleled zeal. Case and point, soldiers we just passed gave their eager, arm raised salutes to Garma...and me. I would think they were just addressing him, if not for a couple of the group having seen me before Garma and having snapped the same passionate gesture.

The Zabi family works on their public image and has developed a cult of personality for themselves and their top aides...and now I am directly working with one of them, and serving as the face of his public relations campaign here on Earth. It kind of feels weird to receive such attention, but it's also hard to complain that I no longer am being faced with the same resistance I once was...

"I'm not sure I'm really deserving of such…enthusiasm. I mean, after all, I'm just a former reporter. I'm not cut out for this whole reverence thing."

Garma had a small laugh, "Oh, don't sell yourself short. To the people of Zeon you represent something more than just yourself: you're an idol of the common people, someone who supports them when so many others would vilify them," he smirked at me, alleviating some of my concerns, "Know that the extra effort you go to despite never intending to end up with us is appreciated, by both the men and myself."

We get to the ramp of the Gaw and are met by Rakshata's team of mechanics, doing their last diagnostic checks or whatever it is they do before a launch, when they too see Garma and salute him. With a smile, Garma returns the salute given to him and continues forward as I hear an audible rise in morale.

I would partake...but I'm not in this for the whole dictator thing, and so I'm not about to do what's basically a Nazi salute.

"Being worshipped is easy once you get used to it, and it suits us in the meantime, does it not? After all, because of my family's status I can accomplish things I never could have otherwise, just like you now possess the means to see to your own goals."

It's weird in a way...I would love to call out the blatant issues with outright worshipping others like this, that it can lead to horrors and atrocities as anyone with any knowledge of history could attest to...but...

...but if I were born in Zeon? If I grew up through what they've suffered at the hands of the Federation? With a family of dictators giving me all I had? Perhaps I would be no different than any of the soldiers saluting us.

I know for certain that, if I had been born in Zeon instead of the Federation, I would have signed up to serve Garma without needing an assassination attempt on my life to put things in perspective.

Now though, I have been granted the power to accomplish whatever I set my mind to. At least, anything within the reach of a normal human being like myself...some are born with talent, others with insight, and yet others with the persistence to carry on in the face of everything they face. I only have as much talent as I was born into, but I can carry forth the wisdom of my father before me, even in the face of mounting adversity.

If, to save lives and deliver the truth, I must come to accept the support of these people who have placed their faith in me, I will.

"I suppose if I'm an idol, who am I to complain?" Inside the Gaw a man opens the door for Garma and I to pass through, bowing to us as we pass by, "Besides, I doubt the people of Zeon would be happy with me if I rebuffed the respect they have paid me."

"Good point, so for now, how about we play the roles fate has dealt us?" Garma smirked as we headed straight to the Gaw's bridge, passing Garma's guards on the way who each joined the parade of others saluting, "I think you'll find that Zeon's people possess a spirit quite unlike any other. For so long it was all we had, and for the first time it is truly getting to shine as we face an enemy thirty times our strength and are coming out the victor."

He's right, even if he is parroting Gihren's narratives. If there's one thing that monster gets correct, it's that Zeon really is facing impossible odds and somehow winning right now. I fear though that this war won't forever favor them, that eventually the Federation's sheer advantage in supplies will one day lead to their victory.

It all brings back to mind memories of the history lessons I got in school before I had to stop going to instead work to support Saji. In Japan, we had our own history of acting quite similarly, and one could draw parallels with the belligerent Imperial Japan and the current Side 3's Principality of Zeon.

I smile to myself as I try to remember as much as I can about those old school days that feel like a lifetime ago...what was it, six, seven, or even eight years now? It was such a long time ago after all, so it's hard to remember the specifics off the top of my head, "It reminds me in a way of the Japanese spirit of old."

Garma seemed interested, but he did not show any signs of knowing what I was talking about as we reached the bridge, "I must admit I am not that familiar with ancient and middle age history."

"I'm not exactly a historian either, but we too had a near-cultlike reverence of certain influential members of our nation that allowed us to overcome the limitations of our nation's small size and stand among the Earth's leaders," I'm not going to tell him about them, lest it irritate him, but we also committed atrocities that actually made the colony gassing and drop seem humane...those at least were near instant in how they ended lives, rather than massive campaigns where the most vile acts of humanity were commonplace. Still, I may as well inform him of the distinct downfall of having such a firm spirit against all odds, "However, it also led us to our downfall when that faith ended up misplaced, and we fought a war we had no chance of winning in the end, despite believing each step of the way that we could."

Garma took his place on the bridge and crossed his arms, "Well I will have to make sure then that Zeon's faith in my family is not misplaced. I intend to win this war for the Principality," he turned to me once again with a smile, "Hopefully you'll help me in making sure we do not walk down the same path as your nation in centuries past."

If only I could...but even with the power I have come into, I am not sure something like that is quite within my grip.

It doesn't mean I can't try though.

While I take a position on an empty part of the Gaw's bridge I flash Garma a smile, "For better or worse, this is my path now, so you have my support."

* * *

The battle went exactly as Garma had intended, and it appeared that whoever was in charge of the enemy force was being hamstrung by backseat drivers so to speak, as Zeon intercepted communications from high ranking civilians from the Federation government that ran contrary to whatever plans may have saved the doomed force.

It could have been a massacre, but just as Garma was sending a call for the enemy to surrender, he received one. With how the battle's conclusion was obvious to all participating, it makes sense that things would turn out like this if the Federation leader had any sense of humanity.

Arrangements were made for the surrender to take place, and Garma saw fit to meet the enemy leader and their other top officers to discuss how to handle the disarming of their forces and transportation of the soon to be POW's. Garma had not come prepared to transport such a large army of enemy forces, so such a meeting was necessary since the Federation could supply transports of its own from its nearby bases that were about to become held by Zeon.

Emmerich, Amir, and Urabe made sure to scree the Federation leader as he was brought to meet with Garma at a secure facility, but before he could get to actually meet with Garma, he crossed my path. A bear of a man, though not to Dozle's level, he towered over everyone but Urabe. His blonde hair continued down to his chin to form a short beard, and above his lips was a thin mustache.

Wishing to talk to him to peek into his mind a bit, I give him proper respect and salute the man whose Federation uniform labels him a captain, "Are you the one in charge, sir?"

He smiled and extended a cuffed hand for me to shake, "You can say that, Miss Crossroad."

I'm not too surprised he knows me, but the fact that he's smiling instead of scowling at me is actually off-putting. Usually their higher ups detested me, seeing me as a traitor, even though I'm only with Zeon because someone from the Federation shot me.

Realizing he had not given me his name, the soldier gave a nervous laugh before trying to introduce himself, "Captain Henken Bekkner, miss. It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he winked and leaned over to whisper to me, "Don't let my bosses know, but I have to say I'm a big fan of your criticisms of the Federation government."

Yes, I'd imagine he would be...they were part of the reason he just lost this battle, and I'm getting a good feeling from him. He doesn't seem to be a fool, arrogant, or otherwise repugnant like the other Federation leaders I've come across. No wonder he's not a fan of the idiots in charge.

I shake his hand and smile at him, "It's nice to meet you too, Captain. I'll admit it's nice to meet a supporter from the Federation, since the last time I had a good chat with a Federation officer I was shot."

"I can imagine! I'm sorry that happened to you. Not everyone knows how to take criticism well," he paused before whispering again, "Between us, there are plenty of people within the Federation who don't like how they treat Spacenoids, but also are not fine with Zeon and how it's led by dictators who would do things like the colony gassing and drop."

So he's just like me...too bad he's on the other team. Hopefully Garma will let him out in a prisoner exchange so he can be a good leader to other forces and keep them from suffering the grisly fate they would have today under a less compassionate leader.

"I understand completely. If the Federation had not tried killing me to hide their secrets and shame like what they did to my father, I would be more neutral myself. As it is, I am grateful for the opportunity the Zabis have granted me to enact change."

My father investigated them at around the time of Deikun, and for it he had been killed. Now at the second rise of Side 3 I was the one to look into affairs, and I nearly met the same fate as him. Zeon may use its media as a source of propaganda, but at least they have allowed me to say what I want because of how damaging it is to their enemy. Perhaps that won't always be the case, but they haven't shot me yet...not about to test them on whether or not they would, but the important fact is they haven't.

Henken sighed, "Yeah, I've seen your broadcasts. Too bad Garma's not in charge, given what you've said about im. Is he really as good as you say he is?"

I give a small smile and a slight shrug, "Maybe even a little better. He's inexperienced, but has a lot of potential and is Zeon's best hope for the future. I'm doing what I can to help the people I am capable of helping, just like him."

"Wish I could meet him. Where's his representative for the surrender to discuss everything?"

I grin at his assumption, "Oh, he came in person. He's probably just caught up talking with someone who is trying to curry favor with him."

So many Federation officials in the area who had laid down arms are now trying to play nice with Garma in the hopes he will let them keep their jobs, just now serving him instead of the Federation. Pathetic cretins...but it's better than fighting them. For now.

Henken looked shocked, but in a positive fashion, "Wait, the Prince is here? I have to say I'm surprised!"

"He cares about civilian lives and wanted to see to the matter personally to cut down on further conflict and damage," the door behind me in the facility we had chosen to use opens and Garma steps in, having just brushed aside a number of sycophantic nobles to get here as planned. Now with Garma present I introduce him,

"Sir, this is Captain Henken Bekkner."

Garma beams at the man and extended a hand for Henken to shake, "A pleasure to meet you. I respect a man who puts his troops before his pride."

"Likewise, Captain Zabi. Thank you for your grace," Henken bowed partially after shaking Garma's hand, though when he rose to his massive height again he noticed me again standing there in the hallway and laughed, "Having gotten the chance to speak with her, I must say you are lucky to have someone like this working for you, sir."

Garma nodded, though he didn't bother to look at me as well, "I agree fully. I think Kycilia assigning her here was a good decision. I remember listening to Miss Crossroad back at the academy when she had just started. I consider myself fortunate to now have her aid."

I wouldn't think that would have had any effect on me, but for some reason I feel bashful and I bow my head, "I am grateful for your favor, sir."

"Kinue, there's no need to grovel just because we have company," he looked at me with a smile, though it slowly morphed into a frown as the nearby meeting room caught his attention, "Though I do apologize, as I would like to have this meeting in private. Can you conduct your other interviews while I am busy?"

I wouldn't want to get in his way. I'm here to support him after all, not hinder him. There are plenty of other soldiers I could and should talk to, so I should take my leave.

"Of course, sir."

Garma takes my acceptance as a cue to go inside the meeting room, Urabe following in behind him. Henken was the next to move to enter, with Amir and Emmerich falling in behind him, but he stopped by me before entering to wink again.

"I think you should go for it," he whispered in a sly voice.

What? What is he talking about?

"Go for what?" I ask him as he walks inside with the two guards, only for my response to be the shutting of the door behind them.

What did he see that I'm not? I'm missing some piece of the puzzle...

* * *

"Welcome back aboard, Miss Kinue."

After I did my part and interviewed soldiers about the battle and about how the Federation meddled with their operation, I returned to the Gaw and joined Turner on its bridge. Might as well wait for Garma to get back since he was still in his meeting.

"Hello, Turner. Garma will be along shortly," I inform the pilot. He nods before turning back to his console, with the man laughing once he looked down at something on it. Curious what was so amusing, I ask him about it.

"What are you laughing about?"

Turner lifted up what appears to be a letter, "Oh, while Amir was out with you all I snuck in his cockpit and found this."

He begins to read it aloud, and it quickly becomes clear that it was a letter from Amir to what must be a girlfriend or something like that named Charlotte. Didn't know that he had it in him...huh. Kind of funny that someone who is as bad with people as he is could even manage to get a girlfriend.

...actually, scratch that. I haven't gotten a boyfriend yet. What does that say about me? That I'm a workaholic who had to pay rent?

In any case, it's not appropriate for the pilot to have this personal letter, as it is between Amir and his girlfriend, so I call him out on it, "Turner, put it back."

"Fine…" Amir's friend sighs, "I'll slip it back when we get to base..."

Just as he puts it down again, the door to the bridge opens up again and Garma strides in with a smug look. Everything must have worked out like he intended it to.

"Sir!" The soldiers on the bridge greet him, with me being the one exception to the whole 'jump up and salute him' crowd. Not that I don't respect him, I just am not trained like a Pavlov dog to salute people at every given opportunity. For now it's a mental thing I have to do on purpose.

"At ease. I have arranged for our nearest bases to transport and house our new prisoners, so we can get going now," Garma explained.

Things were going well...and they would continue to do so until, on the way back to the base we launched from originally, a Gaw at the front of the pack was struck by enemy anti-air fire. Fortunately it managed to pull away and escape being shot down, but we had another battle on our hands, one we were not expecting since there hadn't been enemies on this path earlier.

"Enemy forces, sir!" Turner yelled worriedly.

"I can see that—" Garma shook around where he stood as minor anti-air fire struck our Gaw, "I don't know what the situation is yet, so let's not take any chances! Launch the mobile suit teams and get a look on the ground!"

Soon Turner noticed something the rest of us did not given his position at the front of the bridge, and that was a Zaku rushing past Emmerich on the ground. The Royal Guard was so focused on firing with his long range weapon that he suffered from tunnel vision at that moment, allowing the enemy to slip by I would later learn.

Said Federation Zaku took aim at our Gaw and fired up at it with a rocket launcher, forcing Turner to begin moving out of its firing path, "Hold on!"

Hold on? To what, and why? This bridge isn't really built for grabbing onto anything—

I realize just then that the ship's pilot has thrown us into a hard turn to one side, which due to my lack of seat on this forsaken bridge means I am now being thrown across it.

I slam into the side of it and slump down onto the ground, my head in splitting pain...only for more pain elsewhere in my body to join it soon enough as I feel something land on me and crush my abdomen, forcing my breath out of me

A bigger heads up would have been nice, Turner…damn my head hurts. I haven't opened my eyes yet since they clenched shut after my head was subjected to a surprise interview with metal.

What's on top of me, and can I get it off? It's really crushing my chest, making it hard to breath, and not so comfortable on the assorted flesh.

I try to shove whatever it is, only to freeze when my hands come into contact with flesh.

One of my eyes cracks open and catches sight of a dazed Garma who had also not been standing in a position to brace himself, and who must have been thrown far worse if he wound up all the way over here—

Oh no.

It wasn't some bulkhead of object that's now crushing me, it's my barely conscious boss.

Too close, too close, too close, too close!

When the Gaw lurched, I wasn't the only one thrown. Now I have a purple haired prince on top of me, and he's not moving. Why is he not moving? Garma, please get up. Pleeeeeease get up. I don't want to have to shove you, but it is really damn awkward having my boss on top of me.

Fortunately my humiliation begins to end as Garma, both eyes still closed, begins to fumble around and try to push himself up so that he can get up.

Hey, wait a minute, Garma, don't—

...fuck. Well, at least it can't get any worse than him pushing my—damnit Garma, watch it! I didn't need you to knee me! I know you're likely suffering from far worse head pain than me, but open your eyes!

So, without further mishap Garma manages to crawl to his feet and stumble back over to his station, which he grabs as if it is for his dear life. His eyes are still closed, and he seems to be in a lot of pain, so I'm not even sure if he knows what he just did.

Hopefully he doesn't, because I'm not going to tell him if he doesn't.

Now that I am free of having someone else's weight burden me, I try and get up myself. Fortunately except for my head, only my back seems to have been hurt at all. I'm still dizzy from the pain, but at least I didn't break any bones.

I bring a hand to my head and touch where I collided with the Gaw's side, finding that while bruised it is not bleeding, but also that the movement causes my back a decent bout of pain. It must have absorbed most of the impact, so I should probably take it easy for a bit. I lean on the nearby wall and grab onto whatever I can to prevent myself from being thrown like a ragdoll again.

As my headache begins to fade, I realize something else about my own face.

Am I blushing? I can feel the heat in my cheeks, so I think I am...why am I blushing though? It was just an accident. Just a moment of touch...

I take a look over to where Garma is now standing and giving orders to his forces through a half broken headset, which had been damaged when Garma was torn from it and turned into a projectile by the Gaw's sudden shift. Even though he's still showing signs of pain, he's still performing his duties admirably. A small trickle of blood has run down his forehead, striking his hand as his fingers toy with and twirl his lush, silk hair—

Oh god.

Do I have a crush on him? Really Kinue? The purple haired fop?

I really have been too close to him these past months if I'm blushing at him and am being entranced by his hair and idiosyncrasies.

I mean, it's not like Garma's a bad person...he's kind, a perfect gentleman, but...I don't know. While I like him as a person, I still am grappling with what he is.

Wow, and I thought Saji was the one with bad taste...Louise is a spoiled brat, but least she's not a royal spoiled brat.

Okay, perhaps that was harsh. Garma's spoiled sweet, not rotten, but...damnit, I can't believe I let myself get this attached to him. I don't know what to do, what to think...

I've spent so much time working since my father died that I haven't had time to focus on my own life. If I wanted to eat and live in a house, I needed to focus on that and not trivial nonsense. Saji needed food and a home.

Now though? I have more free time than ever, since Garma has no idea what someone like me should do, so he lets me do whatever I want unless something comes to his mind. Occasionally Kycilia contacts me, but she has been in and been focusing on space mostly so I haven't had too many orders passed down by her.

Not only that, I can't even reach out to Saji if I wanted. The Federation still has Japan under their grip, so if I mailed anything it'd be a wasted effort. Similarly, I bet they have him under surveillance, because my little brother definitely would have reached out to me by now if he could.

Saji...are you okay? Are you still in school? Can you afford to be, between that and paying rent? Is that spoiled girlfriend of yours looking after you? Has the Federation done anything to you because of me?

I promised father that I would look after you, and a fine job I'm doing...on the opposite side of the world, working for a brutal dictatorship...aaaaaand most recently coming to grips with the fact that I have...feelings for my boss.

This is so unprofessional. How can I be an objective voice about Garma if I...

Okay, Kinue, you have better self-restraint than this...so what if your boss is a totally naive sweetheart? He's your employer! Not only that, he's fighting to secure the rule of an authoritarian regime, a regime of which he happens to be a prince of!

Oh...oh no. I don't like him because he's a prince, do I? I need to find out so I don't hate myself, because there's no way I'm that shallow.

What is Garma outside of the Princely shell? Well, he genuinely cares for the ideals of his nation, the establishment of colony independence and freedom...he cares about his people and doesn't waste his forces whenever he can, to an empathetic and partially crippling level...he even values the lives of the Federation's civilians, people who like me had little say in the practices of their corrupt government...and, while reckless, I have to admire how he leads his forces personally rather than sitting behind a desk all day and hiding behind his rank and name. He's a good man, who just so happens to also be a Zabi.

Okay, so I'm not shallow. Good. But that doesn't change the fact that my face is burning red and that I can't do anything about it. I'm a regular civilian, he's royalty. Federation, Zeon. Pro-democracy, future dictator. Realist, romanticist...but I suppose it's that last quality that makes him so beloved by his people. He sees the world for the ideal he wants it to be...and I suppose I've fallen for him too. Just a little harder…

Damn this infatuation. Can't it be more, I don't know, convenient?

You know what though? I'm far enough down this rabbit hole, I may as well just figure it all out now. I'll humor myself for a moment: even if I would be with Garma, what would I even do? I'm not some rich noble, or a politician. I'm a media cog. I work to make sure people are informed about the truth of a story. I don't think I could be a Zenna. Having a few hours free to myself a day is making me stir crazy, so tea and dressed up high society events are not really in my skillset.

"Kinue, are you alright? You seem...out of it."

Having been temporarily distracted from my staring at him by my own thoughts, I find that Garma is shooting me a concerned look.

He really is a pretty boy...he looks handsome even when his face is twisted a bit to show that he's worried.

It would be nice if this type of concern was unique to me, but it isn't, which is why he's Garma...he cares about the people around him, likely because he doesn't have any other meaningful relationships.

"Perfectly, sir," I lie as I try to calm myself down. Okay, Kinue. You can do this...you just need to never let the person you see most days on multiple occasions know you have a crush on them.

Yeaaaaaaah. I'm going to have to find a way of dealing with this productively, or I'm screwed.

...please let my face not be blushing right now. I don't think I could live with that embarrassment

Outside, the battle has been decided, and I catch a glimpse of Garma's forces finishing the last of their enemies. Unfortunately this group had been less willing to surrender it seems, though by the looks of things it probably would have been best if they had immediately...Amir is savagely beating the knock-off Zakus into the dirt, while Emmerich is giving covering fire to Urabe who in turn is keeping the enemy from getting close to Emmerich's Zaku, which now has some kind of long range cannon that looks like the top of a Magellan tank.

I avert my eyes, no needing to see more. I had my share of combat for the day, and I'm too distracted to observe what's happening with any true clarity.

I excuse myself from the bridge with the excuse of having my back looked at, but in truth I just need space.

* * *

Another day, another event to coordinate for Garma to increase his support base with favorable coverage. No time to really worry about the fact that he makes me blush and tingly. Or the dream I had last night. Or...

Okay, stopping it there. How can anyone possibly handle workplace relationships if they are this distracting? Or is it just me because I've never stopped to handle and deal with these things like a normal person?

I try to stare down at the pieces of paper before me on my work desk, but I'm not getting anything from them. The more I try to stare at them, the more I come back to the reason I am looking over all of these documents...Garma. He's going to some major fancy function or whatever based off of a suggestion I made awhile back of converting Federation officials and possible sympathizers to his cause instead of later fighting them, so I guess I can't complain he's going, but it's only been a couple days since I've realized just why I used to like hanging out with my boss so much and following him everywhere.

I gave it a day to see if I was just flustered over our accidental proximity on the Gaw, but no. Now that I've realized my unprofessional feelings, I can't seem to rid myself of them.

A knock on my open door pulls my attention off my personal issue and to the person now standing a few feet from me. During the battle Emmerich had made a major mistake, and ought to have been reprimanded, but Garma let him off easy despite the near fatal error. As a result, Emmerich was doing his best to be helpful even in his off-time, doubly so since Amir was off helping M'Quve with the designs for Odessa, since Amir had studied something like that in his time at the Zeon academy and M'Quve trusted someone of Amir's rank to be capable of giving input. So poor Emmerich was all by himself for the time being, since Urabe was always around Garma.

"Emmerich, did you get that roster of attendees?"

The soldier rolled his eyes at my curt greeting as he strode across the medium sized room and passed the papers off to me, "Yeah, yeah, here you go," once I had them in hand he laughed, "You know, when I became a royal guard I didn't expect to become a paperboy!"

I narrow my eyes at him. He shouldn't have had to go pick these up, he should have already had them to begin with, but when I requested for his he revealed he had no idea of what I was talking about. This is what happens when a former mechanic is thrust into the position of guard, "These are the people attending. You're supposed to go over all the details as well. I'm looking for possible connections for Garma to make, you're looking for possible security risks."

"No, that's Urabe's job. I'm just supposed to be there and keep an eye out,"

I grin, "I'm sure you'll do wonderfully. Not at all like that Zaku you let slip by and shoot the Gaw I was in."

The enthusiastic soldier laughed heartily, "Hey, that was one time! And besides, it's a party of people we want to get to support Zeon! The chances I let some secret Feddy supporter slip by are like...one in a million!"

My eyes lower to the papers he handed me, and I already see an issue on the very first one as I begin to read it, "I hope you're right, but I'm not quite as sure. This man, Eschonbach, will be coming and he is most certainly not a fan of Garma or the Zeon forces. Intelligence work from Kycilia's operatives also believe he may have something to do with the Federation resistance here in America."

I heard about him from her, which was why the moment his name caught my eye I knew to actually focus on this particular document.

Emmerich nodded as I flipped through Eschonbach's file, "Well if that's the case, I'll keep a good eye on him!" As I continued on, Emmerich stood beside me to look over the files too, like he ought to have. At least he's doing it now…

Eventually as I sort through the thick file he uses a hand to stop me and also to point at a photograph, "Ooh, who's the beauty?"

I blink as I realize that I'm not familiar with whoever this is. They look too young to be his wife, at least I hope so since he's old enough to be a grandfather, so is this his daughter? "I...don't know," I pause to read up on the information contained about her, "Icelina Eschonbach. Known details..."

A beautiful blonde woman who comes from a noble background and is known for being sweet, if naive. Swap the hair color and what do we have?

Bingo. This solves my personal problem neatly, as if it came in a nice little box.

This will help keep me from doing anything stupid with Garma. If he's already taken, there's no way I'll flirt with him or do anything like that. I have more pride than to be a poacher.

Garma's lonely, as I know he is? Well then I'll help play matchmaker. It helps him, it helps me, and it helps our cause. We all win...though I'll have to find ways to get him off my mind. I'll come up with that later, but for now this is just the out I needed.

"Emmerich, you remember how Urabe was saying the other day that Garma should get a girlfriend?"

Urabe is a lot like Garma in a sense that he prefers a romanticized view of the world, only unlike Garma he's also quite down to Earth in a sense. The other day when I was bored and spent a bit of my free time watching the three guards engage in mobile suit practice, the trio had come to the topic of Garma. Of course, back then, it didn't really catch my attention, but now such an issue feels a bit closer to home.

"Yeah? You want in on that?" Emmerich joked, not realizing that yes, yes I do. But want does not mean I should, and I certainly won't. No, instead I am going to have this high ranked mechanic make up for letting that Zaku get through and cause this whole incident. He's going to help me play matchmaker for our dear leader.

"Ha-ha, very funny, but this stays between us, okay?"

"Sure, what is it?"

I tap on the page where Icelina is. I've already thought about how to spin the narrative for this, as it's a classic Romeo and Juliet story that only requires Garma and this girl to hit it off, which given their seeming similarities I don't see an issue with, "Make sure Garma meets her. She is the daughter of one of Garma's political opponents. If he gets together with her we can pull off our own Shakespearian romance that can draw Garma some support, vilify Eschonbach if he does not support it, and if he does support it we will be taking the wind out of the Federation's sail as far as the North American resistance goes."

"Sure thing!" Emmerich seemed eager to put something like that into place. We all had begun to realize that Garma needed some kind of companionship after he began finding excuses to tag along with us no matter what we were doing, so this was probably a golden opportunity for Emmerich as well to help out his charge who he cared about so dearly, "Too bad you won't be there. It'd be nice to have familiar faces around."

Actually, I will be there, though not because I asked to be. Because I had taken to micromanaging who he would talk to, what he would say, and what he would do, Garma had decided to just invite me to it as well so I could do manage him in person.

Suddenly that offer is looking a lot less appealing, because now I'm going to have to watch. I mean, how would that not be fun? Get to watch Garma do a little love story with this nice girl?

"Oh, I'll be there. Though in some ways I wish I wasn't going..."

Yeah...agreeing to being there when I'm going to intentionally pair him with someone else is going to probably be a bit tough. But it's for the best, right?

"You'll have to sample some of the wine for me then! They don't let me drink on duty."

I scoff at him, not even trying to mask my amusement, "Good thing. You and Amir miss enough as it is," and then I say something that soon won't be true, "And I don't drink alcohol."

* * *

So, here I am at this stupid thing and I don't have anything to do. Only people I know are Garma, Urabe, Amir, and Emmerich, and they're all off doing their jobs...Garma's talking to everyone, Urabe is outside looking after the mobile suits and organizing the citywide defense, and Amir and Emmerich are going around and listening in on everyone to see if these nobles are up to anything suspicious, particularly Eschonbach.

In fact, Eschonbach left early after an argument with his daughter of some sort. He had tried bringing her with him, but Amir threatened him and the issue was settled. Good thing for plan "Get Garma a girlfriend", because they had not really met yet, and it paved way to the current situation…

I down another glass of wine and sigh. The Federation officials here are all corrupt bastards, and I hate them for being so willing to sell out their people not on principle or any other understandable moral reason, but because they think joining Garma will benefit them. They're scum, and I don't want to talk to them.

I also can't talk to Emmerich or Amir, since they're busy, Emmerich especially so since he is really trying to make up for his previous error, and of course Garma's been chatting with Icelina for...I don't know, three hours now? Of course they've had other members in their conversation, but they really, really are getting along…

Hello, alcohol. I didn't know you were such a good friend for someone lonely like me.

I feel a tap on my shoulder after I turn around to fill up my wine glass again. It's Amir, who is glaring at me in a manner which tells me he does not approve.

"Miss Crossroad, you should stop drinking."

I should? Why, because I'd make a scene? Not in my DNA, sorry. I'm fine just drinking here, even if this is my first real contact with heavy amounts of alcohol. I have to say I'm taking it all pretty well, "I don't take ordersh from you, Amier."

The soldier forcefully tried to grab the wine, but I slipped away from him and smirked. He's some kind of hand to hand combat master, but somehow half-drunk me managed to outdo him. How sad.

"Hand it to me," he grunted as he took another swipe, only for me to stumble back and laugh. He's making a scene to try and stop me from making one. How ironic.

Seeing that I'm not about to give up on being stubborn just because I've ingested a lot of alcohol, Amir gives up and wanders back into the crowd, "Fine..."

Victory achieved, I go back to pitying myself via alcohol as I mourn the loss of what never could have been...

"Kinue, what's the matter? I've never seen you drink before."

I look up and see that Amir has his arms crossed halfway across the room, where he interrupted Garma's conversation with Icelina to get him to come over here. Was he really so determined to not "lose" that he had to call in the big guns and drag our boss into this? Damnit Amir...

I look away from Garma, but I can feel my face turning red, "I don't driiiiiink…" then I mumble, "I-I just hate evverryone here."

Garma laughs as he takes the spot next to me by the drink table and pours himself some wine, "Everyone? Even me?"

I use my own drink as a way to point to the rest of the crowd, "No-t you…them."

His face tells me that he agrees with me, but also that he can't say that out loud. Still, he does have one complaint with what I'm talking about, and that is the blonde haired woman he is looking across the room at, "I don't know. Icelina, that former mayor's daughter, seems nice."

He's right. She is. Which is why I hate her. I had given her a brief 'interview' to see if she was worthy of Garma, and besides being a bit of a dolt she's perfectly fine I think. At least as fine as you can tell someone is off of a single conversation.

"I hate her toooo, cuz I can't find a reasonnn to hate her."

That brings out a chuckle in Garma, who sips at his wine once calming down, "You won't remember this conversation, will you?"

...no, probably not. Why?

With a twist of the lip, romantic idealist Garma leaves and is replaced by a cynical man scowling at the crowd from behind his wine glass while leaning back on the tall table the drinks were located on, "To be honest, I don't care for the people here either. Sycophants and fairweather friends, all of whom will stab us in the back the first chance they get, perhaps even as soon as today."

I agree with him and drink my own wine, whispering, "Bastards…"

Necessary bastards, but we knew that when we arranged for this whole affair.

Garma returns to his normal persona, which I now realize is a mask of sorts to hide his true feelings, and smiles at me in what feels like a genuine way, "You know, if I didn't have you or our guards I would feel completely alone here in a sea of fiends. Thank you for coming."

I know I have to be blushing now, but hopefully he thinks it's the alcohol…

"It's my job…"

"As it is mine to be here," Garma gave me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, his gloved hands making me slightly shiver even despite the lack of actual touch, "That doesn't mean that we can't try to enjoy it though."

He's right...even though I'm not all too fond of what's happening, I can at least try to enjoy what I can. Not only that, I shouldn't get in his way of performing his duties...he needs to be out talking to them, and he needs to be romancing Icelina. That's how things should be, and my own feelings damned, I have a duty that I'm currently shirking by drawing him away from where he should be.

I put my drink down and gently push Garma forward, "You sshould do your job then…I'll be okkay."

Garma smirks and turns away from the crowd, his voice taking a sardonic quality to it, "I've done my part for now. I think I deserve a break from the hand shaking and greeting of people I don't know and don't care about. They just want to be on the winning team," he pauses before smiling, "The only one who is worth the space they occupy is Ms. Eschonbach. It's unfortunate her father is so vindictive he could not join us tonight, but at least he's standing up for his convictions like these others."

I nod along with what Garma is saying, not really processing much of it but agreeing with the sentiment. I try to bring the wine I've been sipping up to my lips, only to find my arm halted by Garma's.

He's holding a glass out for me to take with a different type of wine, "You know, if you're going to keep drinking, you should try this."

Of course he's also well cultured in what wines are good and whatnot...mister perfect here. But, even partially drunk, I'm a big enough woman to remember what needs to be done.

I put down my own wine again and hold up a hand to decline his offer, "I think I'm fine…thank you," with both my hands free, I try to guide Garma back towards where he should be, "Now let m-me do my job and tell you to go woo that wh-woman who seems very interested in you. Be a grate news starry."

Garma looks at me as I push him away from the table, then to Icelina, who had taken to talking with a group of nearby nobles when Garma took his leave from the conversation.

His face appears calm, at ease, as he looks at her, "You think?" He closes his eyes and I'd imagine he's thinking of his conversation with her. Good, he seems to have fallen for her...well, as good as I can consider that, "She is very kind…"

Remembering the encouragement given to me before by a certain Captain, I wink at Garma and tell him to go for it.

He should be happy.

"Go on, Romeo. Give me something to write about."

I seem to have convinced him, as Garma takes one last drink from his glass before putting it down and taking a step away from the table.

 _Garma..._

* * *

 _ **A/N: For reasons I will not explain here just yet, due to some heavy RNG Kinue ended up romantically interested in Garma in our game. Unfortunately for her though, he has a canon love interest, Icelina. Poor Kinue...gets shot...first in the stomach, and then through the heart. This is what happens when you're supposed to die and instead live on, I suppose. Guess she's lucky to still be around then...  
**_

 _ **Next chapter will actually start with Amir and Emmerich doing what they do at the same party, as it was one of our most major game sessions, it just wasn't too much from Kinue's perspective since she was half drunk at it (she wasn't in my original script for the event since I had intended for Kinue to die earlier, so she didn't have much scripted to do and I thought it'd be funny to have her drinking as an extra conversation for my players). Next chapter is when we take our biggest change from canon thus far by complete accident!**_

 _ **I hope you enjoyed and will let me know what you think in the review section below! Your support would be very much appreciated!**_


	16. Sensory Deprivation

_**A/N: Thanks to those who have favorited/followed this story since the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy and will leave your thoughts in the comments below!**_

* * *

"So, game plan: we keep an eye out on these Federation guys and try to see if any of them are up to no good."

Located in a luxurious ballroom filled with Federation nobles, former officials, and other upper class members of the local society, Emmerich and Amir exchanged glances after Emmerich's words: Emmerich had a serious expression on, while Amir appeared skeptical.

"I thought I was the paranoid one."

Emmerich crossed his arms as his partner lazily began to turn away from him, "Hey, Garma could have bought it because I screwed up on our last mission, so I'm taking no chances this time. Keep your eyes peeled, okay?"

"Yes mom."

The sarcastic reply made Emmerich laugh, "Do well and I'll tell you a story, say I love you, and wish you sweet dreams. Got it?"

"I think just because of that I'll slack off," Amir deadpanned.

"Oh come on! Urabe's with the mobile suits, so it's up to us to do everything in here. How hard can it be to look after two people?" Emmerich gesticulated in an exasperated manner to his partner.

Amir rose his eyebrow, "Two?"

"Yeah, we brought Kinue, remember?" Emmerich pointed a thumb over to where Kinue was awkwardly trying to avoid talking to corrupt, integrity deficient Federation nobles.

Realizing that this made his job a bit more difficult since, while not as responsible for their associate, he still would get in trouble if anything happened to her, "I was working on getting used to my suit all morning, so no."

"Oh, well, she's here," Emmerich patted his friend on the back forcefully and shoved him towards the crowd, "Now stop slacking off and go do your job!"

Amir scoffed as he listened to his partner and went to go listen in on the many nobles gathered, "Fine. Because you asked so nicely."

Emmerich milled about the edges of the room as not-suspiciously as he could, keeping his ears open as best he could as he began to engage in his own form of espionage. He felt embarrassed by how he had gotten the Gaw damaged the other day, for even if it had led to a funny event Amir's friend Jordan told him about, it still had been because Emmerich's own lack of attention and something like that could cost Garma his life in this line of work.

Unfortunately for him, as hard as he tried he was unable to gleam much of anything from the people he tried listening in on. Some even became suspicious of him and purposefully began to whisper to one another just to avoid prying ears. Other than random gossip and talk about how much they were going to profit by supporting Zeon, Emmerich was at a loss…he was partly glad he could not find anything nefarious, but he also felt like a meeting like this would have _someone_ up to no good what with its dozens of guests.

While nearby Garma, Emmerich was able to listen in on a lively conversation his leader was having with some nobles, who were far less reserved as they tried to be chummy with Garma, "I'm surprised you found the time to visit us with all of the fighting going on!"

Garma smirked as he took a sip from an ornate wine glass, "Well, we just recently crushed a Federation offense down at our Southern border, as well as one to our Western front, so I may as well take an afternoon off or else the war will be over before poor General Revil can collect his retirement benefits."

As Garma boasted to the amusement and cheers of the jackals, Emmerich had caught sight of something of interest: a blonde haired woman peering in on the conversation. She seemed interested in Garma, but nervous about approaching as well as blocked by a few nobles. Recognizing her as the woman Kinue said he should try to get Garma to speak with, Emmerich excused himself as he cut through the crowd trying to mob Garma, moving in such a way that the woman was able to find her way in closer to him.

Garma noticed the new member of the people surrounding him, and one look at the beautiful young woman had him stunned. He took a moment to appreciate her beauty before taking a slight bow to her in respect.

"Oh, pardon my inattention for not noticing you before, my lady. I am Garma Zabi, fourth son of Sovereign Degwin Sodo Zabi."

The noblewoman his age gave a small curtsy in response, "Icelina Eschonbach. "

Garma returned to his full height and showed her his first genuine smile since arriving, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Eschonbach. I was unaware someone so radiantly beautiful was in attendance today."

"You flatter me, sir," she replied humbly, blushing as some of the noblemen gathered gave approving laughs. Nearby though Emmerich spied a man he thought he recognized from the files glaring disapprovingly at Garma and his newest companion, which clued Emmerich in to the fact that this must be her father, the former mayor.

Since getting Garma to meet with and fall for Icelina was Kinue's plan, Emmerich decided to go over and see how she was doing. After all, it seemed like the plan was going off as planned!

He found her by the drinks provided to the side of the room, Kinue having secluded herself due to a dislike of the vile people attending. As he approached, Kinue rose a glass of wine to him as a toast of sorts, "Perfect Romeo and Juliet story just like I planned. Federation lady and Zeon prince. The day couldn't be going better for his career with all the connections he's forming, or will be…"

Emmerich found himself confused when he watched Kinue finish a near full glass of wine, given her comments just the other day about not being a drinker.

"I thought you don't drink," he nervously laughed. Was something the matter? Was she perhaps nervous and needed something to take off the edge?

Kinue shrugged and looked away from the part of the room Garma was in, her voice quiet and withdrawn, "Nor did I, but here we are."

Not really getting what was wrong, but still wanting to cheer her up, Emmerich nudged her arm and winked at her, "So, I did what you wanted and got Garma to talk to Eschonbach's daughter. You should have seen that jerk's face! I bet he was picturing his future of purple haired grandkids and was just beside himself in fury with how disgusted he looked."

When he got a sigh in response, it clicked in the soldier's mind why perhaps his friend was acting so differently.

Emmerich gawked but lowered his voice to a whisper, "Wait, don't tell me you're _jealous_? You told me to hook them up!"

"I'm not jealous. Why would I have feelings for someone so…naive? Clueless?" Kinue denied, her voice almost cracking.

Rolling his eyes at the pathetic denial of his slightly buzzed friend, Emmerich grabbed an empty glass and pretended to spill it towards the crowd surrounding Garma, "Hey, if you want me to spill something on her, let me know. She seems nice, but what kind of friend would I be if I just let you suffer from the sidelines?"

Kinue shooed him away, her face flushed red in embarrassment, "Please, go do your job. I'm fine, really."

Having tried, Emmerich put the empty glass down and began to leave. He turned hallway back and snapped his fingers at her, "Fine, but no whining when Garma goes home with her phone number!"

He could see that Kinue had contemplated throwing the wine glass she was holding at him, but fortunately she seemed to realize she wasn't exactly sober and aiming would be a problem, as would accidently hitting someone in the crowd he was approaching. He considered himself fortunate that, if she continued to drink, she likely would not remember their conversation and thus would not want to beat him up later.

Once he was out of scolding range, he went back to his scheduled lookout for anything suspicious, "Let's see, who looks like the biggest jackass here?"

As Emmerich finished murmuring to himself, he caught sight of Eschonbach, who was still sending occasional glares towards his daughter as she chatted away with Garma.

"Bingo."

It was close to an hour that he tagged along behind the mayor, but alas Emmerich still was unable to get anything from him. The man had eyed him listening in and scowled to Emmerich, which told the guard that his barely subtle tailing had failed and he ought to try elsewhere. It's not like he could actually get any information from someone who knew he was listening, and since Garma was doing this to earn goodwill Emmerich was unwilling to cause a scene and drag someone out for questioning when he had nothing on them.

As he pulled himself away from Eschonbach, Emmerich sighed to himself about his misfortune, "Oh come on, how can anyone hope to listen in with so many people talking? "

He spotted his partner lurking around the party as well and, hoping Hiyento had been more successful, went over to him.

"How is it going for you, Amir?"

The colder pilot gave a sour frown, "I haven't managed to find anything. These nobles know how to keep others from listening in on them I think."

"They're much more used to uppity events like this I'd reckon. Think it's some conspiracy?"

Amir shrugged, "Don't know. Just think we're unlucky. It'd be nice to know what these people really think…"

Emmerich sighed warmly as he tried to make light of the situation, "I won't tell Garma if you don't."

"Let's take another look. Chances are nothing is wrong, you're just overcompensating and making our lives more difficult," Amir commented before turning and leaving for another go at it.

"Better that than letting someone important die in some nefarious scheme!" Emmerich called after him, only to realize that his slightly raised voice drew the attention of a few nearby nobles.

The next major interruption to the event's proceedings came when the woman Garma had taken to lively chatting with was taken by her father and was being nearly dragged out of the room. While it made a bit of a scene, it received mostly eye rolls as if it had been expected by most attending.

"Come, Icelina. We're leaving."

Icelina tried to struggle, but her father was far stronger and capable of dragging her despite her attempts to stay. She had become infatuated with the foreign prince, and she feared that if her father forced her to leave she wouldn't get the chance to see him again.

"But father—"

The elder Eschonbach tugged harder as she dug her heels in.

"Now!"

The elder man's head had turned to face Icelina, so he did not see that someone had deliberately stepped in his way to the exit. Turning around, Eschonbach saw Amir glaring icily at him.

"You are free to leave, sir."

To emphasize his point, Amir stepped out of the way to the door…but in-between Eschonbach and his daughter, forcibly separating them.

Eschonbach balked, but did not physically confront the guard who had not too subtly dropped a hand to his holster, "You dare stand between me and my own daughter?"

"So long as you disrupt this event, yes. If she wishes to stay, she may."

Seeing that no-one was moving to help him and that he was not going to be able to change the guard's mind, Eschonbach growled and stepped away from Amir, speaking to his daughter in a vile tone, "Fine then. If you wish to disobey your father for the sake of a fascist, you may as well not come home at all."

Once the man was gone, Amir turned to Icelina and asked in a polite voice, "Are you alright, miss?"

Icelina was upset, but she did her best to hide it, "I'm fine…"

Before Amir could say anything more to her, Garma finally finished making his way through the crowds of nobles that had inadvertently gotten in his way as he tried to follow after Icelina and her father. Standing beside her, Garma bowed once again to the noblewoman, "I am sorry for driving a wedge between you and your father. I will speak to him when this is over and apologize for not taking his feelings into consideration. I am the 'enemy' after all."

Icelina shook her head and smiled down at Garma, "Don't worry about my father. He has never let me make my own choices. You haven't done anything wrong."

From the sidelines, Emmerich wondered if that could actually be true given that Garma _was_ invading a lot of land and territory for the express purpose of conquering it in the name of his family's dictatorship. Emmerich loved the Zabi family, but he could understand that from the perspective of a Federation citizen that perhaps they would see things differently.

As Garma and Icelina resumed their conversation from before and quickly forgot the whole issue of her father, Emmerich went back to trying to being extremely helpful and listening in on the room of turncoat sycophants.

Once again, he failed to successfully overhear anything, and he was beginning to question if he needed hearing aids. Fate would just have it that day that each time he tried to listen in that nothing substantive was being said, for what substance was to be had always slipped by his ears.

After he finished trying to listen in on one group of nobles he just didn't like the look of, he noticed that the room had been milled somewhat of its inhabitants. It seemed that the one man leaving had been the beginning of an exodus where it was okay for anyone to do so.

Because about a third of the room was gone now, it was much easier for him to notice that his partner was up to something…and that something was trying to grapple with a drunk Kinue over her drink. At first finding the sight amusing, Emmerich's tune changed when he noticed that Amir gave up in frustration and stalked right over to where Garma was.

"Damnit Amir, what are you up to now?" Emmerich cursed as he rushed over to Garma as well, hoping to be there just in case Amir caused a scene in his cold anger at having been fended off by a drunk woman who he had tried to get to stop drinking.

"Sir," Amir saluted Garma.

Thinking that something important must be happening because one of his guards had approached him, Garma gave a sorrowful smile to Icelina, "My apologies, excuse me for a moment."

He stepped aside with Amir with Icelina respecting their privacy and moving to speak with a nearby group of nobles until Garma finished whatever conversation he was about to have.

"Has something come up?"

Amir crossed his arms and nodded over to where their reporter was minding her own business, "Kinue is binge drinking and I'm afraid she is going to cause a scene."

Garma looked to see what Amir meant, and after a moment of seeing Kinue quietly murmur to herself something came to the conclusion that there wasn't anything wrong, "She seems more of a quiet drunk than a disruptive one," Garma shrugged, "Why not let her enjoy herself?"

Amir pressed on, "Sir, I would not want this to reflect poorly on you, as she represents Zeon now too. She already fought me when I tried to confiscate her drink."

That drew Garma's attention, and the prince had to fight off a smirk as he held a hand up to silence Amir, "Wait, you're telling me that Kinue, probably drunk, slipped by you, a trained soldier whose specialty is close ranged combat?" he finally lost his composure and laughed at his suddenly embarrassed soldier, "That I think made my day, Hiyento. You must have whiffed pretty hard. Maybe even as badly as the worst baseball players my Father watches."

Seeing that his attempt at levity was not appreciated, and not wanting to anger the person responsible for protecting his life, Garma sighed and gave in to his stubborn subordinate.

"Fine, if you're so insistent I'll go make sure she's fine," he handed Amir the drink he had been slowly nursing the entire event, "Hold my drink, or drink it if you want. Think of it as a consolation prize for the one you couldn't steal."

With Garma going over to tend to their drunken colleague, Emmerich approached Amir and questioned his escalation of events, "Was that really necessary?" Amir ignored him, making Emmerich grin as he realized that this was because of Amir's pride, "You really hate losing, don't you?"

"That woman is stubborn when she isn't drunk, making her even harder to convince now. But if I can't get her to listen to me, she'll listen to Garma," Amir tried to rationalize things.

Emmerich laughed as Amir said something that was truer than he realized, "Oh you have no idea."

Since Garma was going to tend to Kinue for the time being, away from the crowd and thus most of the threats that Emmerich and Amir had been lightly keeping an eye on the whole time while trying to find a higher conspiracy, Emmerich decided to give his plan one more shot.

"Let's split up and search for clues again, alright gang?"

Amir smirked at him derisively, "You're fortunate my orphanage had videos from back then or else I would call you out on your horribly dated reference."

"Just go start looking for evil Federation people, Scooby."

"Call me that again and I'll hurt you."

The teal haired man took to approaching the far side of the room while Emmerich stayed back and began to look for someone to antagonize for the time being. However, the sound of the ceiling above him exploding came just in time for him to hurl himself out of the way of the floor above them collapsing down.

The ceiling had been struck multiple times by rounds fired by tanks at a fair distance, giving them a good spread that struck the walls as well. The entire room had been reduced to rubble and ruin in mere moments as the coordinated attack destroyed everything in sight.

Rising to his feet and coughing from dust, Emmerich began looking around even though the lights had gone out and there was barely anything to see where he was because the collapsed ceiling and floors above them had cut off incoming sunlight and the balcony on the far side.

"Amir!?"

His eyes lighting up in horror, Emmerich turned around to where his leader had been. Thanks to the collapsing rubble he was completely cut off from Garma and the lack of light made it all the worse.

"Garma!?"

Still not receiving a response, the panicking soldier ran towards the rubble in his path and began to tear at it, only to find that it was too thick to get through and was not able to be climbed over given the angle of it all. As a result, Emmerich began to call out again.

"Kinue!? AMIR!?"

A communication device on his belt crackled before emitting a quiet voice, "Calm down…" Amir complained, having had his ears hurt when he raised his own device to his head to call his partner, "I still have my communicator…"

"Amir, what can you see?"

"I'm by the balcony—" Amir began before the building shook as another volley of enemy fire collided with it.

"And some bastards are shooting tank shells at us! Where the hell did our perimeter go!?"

Emmerich knew it would be almost impossible, but he had to hope that somehow he was uniquely cut off from their leader, "Do you have eyes on Garma?"

"No, I'm almost entirely blocked off from the main room," Amir's voice changed from irritated to worried, "Lord Garma, if you can hear this, respond!"

No response…Emmerich grit his teeth and began to look around to find a way out. Fortunately his pathway to one of the exits had not been obstructed, so he turned to it and ran towards it even as the building rumbled with another tank shelling.

"Damnit to hell…" he spoke into his communicator while using his other arm to keep steady on his way out of the room. They were on the second floor of the building, which meant his partner was a fair bit from the ground…but their suits were below the balcony in front of the building, ready for action, "Amir, get to your suit! You did some fancy acrobat-whatever type training when we were preparing to be Royal Guards, so jump down to your mobile suit and get going! I found the staircase and will be right down after you!"

He received a small affirmative grunt as Amir prepared to leap in just the right way not to break his whole body while landing on his new mobile suit. Emmerich was nearly thrown down a staircase as the area behind him collapsed and slammed into his back and shins, but he kept himself upright and moving as fast as he could even as the building continued to crumble as a hail of ranged gunfire tried to take it down.

When he reached the bottom of the staircase he was met with the noise of another communicator joining his and Amir's, with Urabe speaking up the very next moment, "Good, I can hear you guys now! Is Lord Garma alright?!"

"We don't know, Urabe, we couldn't get to him!" Emmerich explained as he tried to find another way out of the building, since a stray blast had closed off a hallway he remembered coming through to get upstairs.

"Then we'll have to secure the area and keep anyone from finishing him off if he still is alive! They're still shooting at the building!"

Emmerich cringed as he began to fear that perhaps if he had succeeded at listening in on Eschonbach he may have been able to avert this, given that the man was so ardent about leaving and quite a people followed after him. Not only that, he had been warned that Eschonbach had rumored ties to Federation resistance forces…

He sighed and shook his head. Thinking about that wouldn't stop the shelling, so he needed to still find a way out, and if he could confirm his leader's status, "May as well try again—Lord Garma, can you hear this?"

Silence…and then the crackling of someone fumbling with a communicator.

"Helwo?"

Still on the line, Urabe furrowed his brow. Only Garma should have this frequency other than the three of them, "Wait, who is this?"

Having just landed on his Guren gracefully, utilizing his expert training to twist himself into a perfect fall, Amir slammed his hand against his mobile suit as he recognized who had answered, "Damnit! Really?"

The voice returned, this time speaking quietly as if they were telling a secret, "You can be fined for bad language on the air, Amir, so shhhhhh…"

Urabe realized who it was speaking and gasped at how slurred their speech was, "Oh god, Kinue, do you have a concussion?"

"No, her head hurts because she's been drinking for hours!" Amir growled as he climbed into his suit.

"Well, hic, don't wine about it…"

Emmerich kicked open a door and tried to fight a smirk at the joke as he finally made his way outside, entering a full spring to get to his Zaku. As he did so he spoke up again.

"Kinue, Garma was like five feet from you, can you see him?"

Inside the building, Kinue looked down at the unconscious body next to her. She prodded his head and shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him. Garma made no response as he slowly breathed, his head bleeding from where he had been struck by the falling ceiling. It had taken a minute, but Kinue had succeeded at dragging him out of the broken pieces of architecture to free him.

"Oh, mishter sleepy head here? I've bin pullling him out of the rubble."

The fact that someone had eyes on Garma relieved all three guards, though Urabe continued to press Kinue for information even as he did his best to fire at approaching Type-61 Federation tanks.

"Okay, is he breathing?"

"Yeah…no CPR…"

Urabe sighed and shook his head, actually happy that he had someone looking after Garma even if they happened to be drunk, "Okay then, Kinue, can you try to get him out somehow, or at least get him away from the gunfire, okay?"

"Aye aye, captain."

It took a moment, but Amir spoke to just Emmerich and Urabe using his Guren.

"I'm going to kill her when we're done here."

Urabe scoffed, "Hey, be grateful we have _someone_ inside who's looking after him! What were you two even doing?"

The response Emmerich gave as he finally reached his Zaku-II made Urabe hang his head in shame.

"Trying to see if the Federation members were conspiring to do anything like this…"

All three finally ready to take on the force at the outskirts of the city, Urabe gave the command to attack and they leapt into action.

Hopefully their three suits could take on the small army that had somehow made its way past their garrison of troops posted there, for while Garma was alive at the moment, he wouldn't be much longer if the building he was in continued to be bombarded.

* * *

 _ **A/N: To anyone wondering, yes, Icelina died when the building was shot and collapsed, because the way my players failed about ten times to discover the hidden plot, the way they caused Garma and her to move from where they had been (a safe spot, since I had sketched out everything and what would fall where if they somehow managed to fail so terribly), and because she failed a roll to save her from dying.**_

 _ **As you may imagine, this kind of threw a wrench into my plans, since I was planning on highlighting just how important it would be for Garma to have someone to love him and be an emotional crutch of sorts for his insecurities...Then my players and I dawned on a realization: we had a spare female character at our disposal. One that had already appeared a couple times and who both players had come to like because of how they saved her life and how she wasn't evil like how they expected an Earth Federation reporter to be. So, for the first real time in one of my games, I had players both in and out of universe shipping my NPCs.**_

 _ **While this had to kind of be hastily retroactively explained in-game by me making Kinue drink on a whim (for the sake of humor, and the fact that I hadn't planned to have her there since she was supposed to be dead) be due to latent jealousy, I now for the sake of this story have been able to build it up a bit better by having the interest demonstrated prior and leading up to when I had to shift gears from canon. Crackship? Yes. Funnily works? Yes.**_

 _ **Hope you all enjoyed, will leave your thoughts for me in the reviews below, and are looking forward to the major battle coming up next chapter!**_


	17. Canvas of Red

_**A/N: Special thanks to Amir-015 and ZGMF-X71T for reviewing since last time! I hope you guys continue to enjoy, and that I may hear your thoughts as we continue onwards.**_

 _ **I apologize for the severe delay. There are a multitude of reasons for it, but suffice it to say real life caused me to cut down on my writing a great deal this past half year. I am back now though and things should be far more regular now, so I hope you guys are still along for the ride and will let me know what you think in the reviews below!**_

 _ **Hope you all enjoy! This is where canon starts going awry in a more severe regard, as one might imagine given what happened last chapter.**_

* * *

"Fourth Royal Guard, time to show the Federation we mean business! Amir, with me, Emmerich hang back and provide covering fire!"

There was a good amount of space between the breach in their overall defenses and the site of the meeting of nobles that had just been interrupted by artillery pounding the building with both accuracy and ferocity, as if those attacking were both knowledgeable about the area and also determined to see to it that Garma Zabi perished that day.

At the front of the pack of Garma's Royal Guard was Amir, whose prototype suit possessed wheels in its structure to increase its speed in certain terrain including cities such as the one they were in. Tied into his knowledge of how to make a mobile suit move at its fullest and with seemingly unnatural agility, he soared forward to meet the Federation attack force while leaving Emmerich in the dust and Urabe right behind him.

"This speed..."

Amir was pleased with the suit's capabilities, having only gotten to test them in a limited fashion at base. In battle was where he could truly feel out his still new suit and gather the combat data their mechanic asked for in return for the usage of the machine whose performance outstripped that of a Zaku in every regard except one: the suits configuration left it inaccurate with ranged weaponry, the speed, strength, and durability of the suit coming with a price of sorts. A future iteration might fix this flaw, but for the moment if Amir wanted to slay his foes it would have to be in close quarters combat...not that he minded of course, since he was not a terribly great shot to begin with, at least not in comparison to his aptitude for melee battles.

One of the forward members of the Federation force peppering the building with gunfire was a Federation Zaku armed with a ripoff of the standard bazooka used by Zeon's mobile suit forces, though a bazooka was not an optimal weapon for engaging a foe rapidly approaching oneself. The Zaku tried to fire upon Amir as he tore down the street, only for the missile to soar past where the purple flash had been a moment prior. This bazooka blast carried into a building on the street that it then leveled an entire floor of, causing the building's structure to begin collapsing and for pieces of it to have to be dodged by Urabe as he too rushed to approach the Federation forces.

In this same time frame, Amir had used one of Zeon's new Heat Swords to carve through the body of the Zaku, not stopping to examine his kill as his mobile suit sped past it to launch forward at the next. Watching this from afar, Emmerich decided that he wasn't going to let Amir be the only one to accomplish anything and he stopped his mobile suit. Unlike the Gekka or Amir's Guren, Emmerich's old Zaku was not agile in the slightest and in fact possessed even less speed than the average Zaku-II thanks to a custom weapon he had put together with Rakshata prior to the engagement.

He knelt his mobile suit down, placed the large shield designed to cover his front as he took aim with the cannon derived from a Magellan attack tank, and began to track the now moving Federation forces. While the Magellan tanks possessed weak firepower overall compared to that of a mobile suit, by hooking it up to a special battery Emmerich called a "Crab battery" thanks to its shape post modification the firepower of the tank's cannon was increased to be almost comparable to that of a Musai cruiser's weapons, firing shells that were propelled to even greater speeds by the energy provided.

If he couldn't keep up with them, he might as well specialize himself further in the direction he was forced into: ranged, near immobile combat. He would ruin an attack formation if he were trying to keep up with them with his lumbering Zaku, so he could contribute more by being their ranged support. Intent on proving himself after what happened with the Gaw the other day, Emmerich fired upon a now retreating Federation Zaku and watched as his shot tore through the machine and carried on to also then strike one of the Federation tanks trying to pepper Garma's building from afar.

Far enough away to get a more complete look on the battlefield, Emmerich stopped looking down his suit's scope and scouted out a third Zaku emerging from where it had taken cover when Urabe and Amir first rushed in, only to emerge and take aim at the latter while they finished off the Federation tanks that had been grouped with the one Emmerich destroyed.

"Amir, on your four!"

Trusting his partner, Amir lifted his suit's normally useless rifle and just fired at the direction he was told to as he finished unburying his sword in one of the tanks. The result was a surprised Federation Zaku prematurely firing the bazooka it had been about to aim, the shot blasting right into the ground and destroying the machine's shins and feet. Amir's gunfire itself did little in the way of damage, but the Zaku falling over into a building and dropping its weapon on the way lowered its threat anyways so it became moot.

Urabe was not still during this time and used it to continue approaching the main Federation force at the outskirts of the city, carving enemy suits and tanks on the way without stopping as he had taught Amir to do. With his experience and the mobility of his own prototype suit he was able to avoid the enemy heavy weapons firing on him as if he was dancing, utilizing spinning maneuvers that Amir could replicate if he cared to display grace and which Emmerich could only admire.

Fortunately some of Garma's other forces had moved in to deal with the Federation offensive, but it was not as if the entire army of Garma that had accompanied him was leaping into action: some needed to still maintain the defensive border around where Garma was so that the Federation could not sneak a mobile suit or tank right up under their noses. As such the response force was not enough to defeat the Federation group on its own, and so Urabe and Amir were only all too willing to aid them as Zeon began to circle and envelop their enemies.

Unfortunately on the other hand, not every officer in the area knew just how many forces to send to deal with the Federation without understaffing their own defensive efforts, and so when one Lieutenant sent his Zakus to assist the Fourth Royal Guard at the city's outskirt they soon found themselves on the receiving end of a bazooka blast to the cockpit without anyone to back them up. The result was that the offending Federation Zaku and its team of five other suits were able to break through.

Seeing this but in the middle of trading blows with three different enemy suits at the same time, Urabe called over the radio to Emmerich hurriedly, "Don't let them reach Garma!"

"They sure are going all in on this chance to get Garma..." Emmerich groaned to himself as he took aim at the still far away Zakus. He had set himself up at a point where, due to the heights of the buildings he could open fire on multiple streets without interference. Some buildings would cut off pieces of his overall aim and sight, but he had chosen this spot just in case of something like this happening: he could open fire on a wide arc rather than just down his singular road.

His first shot whizzed past where one enemy suit was supposed to be, if not for one of its legs malfunctioning either due to technical issues or prior damage and it fell down to its knees as the shell flew by its target. Emmerich cursed his luck, not knowing why the other suit dropped so suddenly, and then took aim again at another Zaku that had drawn nearer while its comrade struggled to get their suit moving.

This shot caught it squarely in the chest and the resulting explosion knocked the already malfunctioning Zaku onto the ground entirely. In a stroke of misfortune, Emmerich's four remaining targets were not incompetent and they spread out to various streets. He could only look at and aim at one at a time, so he quickly set a priority value to each of them based on their proximity to Garma's location and began to lay suppressive fire down on them even as they used the buildings for cover when and where they could.

As they ducked in and out of cover, they used their still capable, if cheaper, bazookas to fire upon their target, ignoring Emmerich as a target completely in favor of the structure behind him. As he heard more and more of the building collapsing behind him, Emmerich decided to try something risky: he shot at a building rather than at where the closest Zaku was poking out on occasion. He did not fire one shot into it though, but rather the entire magazine he possessed at the moment in a hail of gunfire intent on penetrating the building to strike through it to slay the enemy on the other side.

The thickness of this particular building was such that while his shots damaged it severely, only one made it through and struck the other suit in a glancing fashion. It did take the suit off balance though, which spelled its doom as the now crippled building collapsed and one of its falling segments tumbled over onto the mobile suit and pierced it with the debris.

Emmerich ignored the damage being spilled into the building behind him as he reloaded and focused on the next enemy Zaku, which he repeated his previous attack upon and managed to overwhelm them with piercing shells that tore through that building's structure and into the enemy trying to take cover behind it. As an explosion confirmed their defeat, he turned to the next and found himself faced with a conundrum: the two others were running towards him and had decided finally to deal with him. He could dodge their attacks of course, but that would mean allowing direct hits to where Garma was still buried in rubble, which would be unacceptable.

Because of this Emmerich grabbed his shield and caught one blast with it, but the impact diverted the shield to the side from its impact which allowed the other Federation Zaku's shot to collide with the arm holding said shield. The resulting blast tore the arm off and also caught some of the cockpit in its radius, though it did no severe damage to the suit while only jostling Emmerich inside of it.

His weapon was meant to be used with two arms, rendering it near useless as these Zakus closed in on him with Heat Hawks drawn to slay him. The modified Magellan cannon was useful in one regard though, and that was reach: Emmerich swept the long weapon to one side to bash one enemy aside as the other continued to assault him. The Heat Hawk buried itself into his suit's right shoulder, threatening to take the arm holding the cannon with it as Emmerich struggled to get this suit off of him.

A heat sword impaled the tan Federation Zaku that resembled Emmerich's own tan suit, though unlike this Federation knockoff Emmerich's still was functioning. With a violent twist, Amir threw the enemy suit that had nearly slain his partner away. It suffered fatal damage and exploded on the ground it landed on, but went ignored as Emmerich smirked at his friend's arrival.

"These knockoff Zakus don't hold a candle to the real deal. It's kind of pathetic how bad the Federation's engineers are."

"Don't underestimate them. They're still a threat even if they aren't as good as our suits," Urabe piped up from elsewhere, having managed to turn the tide of fighting three suits at the same time in close combat down to a one versus one scenario where he was winning.

The creak of a damaged leg unit caught Emmerich's attention and tore him from his small banter when he realized that the mobile suit that had collapsed earlier on was not in fact defeated: it had gotten up and used the distraction of its comrades to go around and approach the ruins of what Garma had been meeting nobles in, "Oh no you don't, bastard!"

He tried to get his own Zaku to react, but in its damaged state he could do little but watch. Amir leapt into action to try and stop them, but there was too great a distance for even him to cover by the time it could next fire.

Part of being in an army though is not being alone however, and a flurry of gunfire tore the damaged Zaku to shreds as Garma's other forces reacted to it to protect their lord. This instantly relaxed both of the guards by some degree, since no other enemies were known to be close now, but Amir remained on some edge since there was always the possibility that some other group had let someone slip through.

Having bought himself a moment by slaying the Zaku he had been fighting, Urabe contacted their allies with a question that had been on his mind, "Extraction team, what is Lord Garma's status?"

"We haven't found him yet Captain! We're still pulling people out of the rubble and removing what we can."

"I'd say get a mobile suit on it, but you might just crush him..."

Urabe looked up as his sensors caught something approaching them from beyond the city's edge: something his ears would soon confirm a moment later with the sound of jets.

The Captain looked up to see a squadron of Tin Cods flying in to attack as well, likely intending to fire down on their target before flying away unscathed, "Enemy aircraft!"

As soon as he called it though he too was given aid by an allied force, this one being one so adept that they shot the aircraft out of the sky as they tried to do their attack run. The jets crashed down into the outer city as their wings were stripped by the accurate firing of a blue colored Zaku that seemed to be just arriving to the scene. Its shade was not the same as Ramba Ral's custom unit, which made Urabe curious as to who it belonged to.

"Nice shooting. What unit do we have to thank for that?"

The pilot inside of the newly arrived Zaku responded in a formal tone, "Lieutenant Roher of the Midnight Fenrir squadron, sir."

Having listened in over the radio, the name rang a bell to Emmerich, "Midnight Fenrir? That's Schmitzer's group, right?"

"We were assigned a mission driving out Federation remnants in the area when we received a distress call from your forces. We apologize for not being able to get here sooner. Is his majesty safe?"

Emmerich sighed as he thought about the ramifications should the answer turn out to be no, "We don't know yet, but we'll find out soon enough..."

Sensing that both Emmerich and Amir were on edge from not knowing their leader's fate, Urabe decided to call them all back to one position to sort everything out, "Let's regroup. I think that's all of them for now, but don't let your guard down."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

To the relief of all of Garma's soldiers that day, he had survived and was found thanks to the aid of a drunken Kinue who directed medical staff to where they were. Since Garma's immediate safety was taken care of and he was being tended to by medical staff for a head injury, his guards met where the ranking officers were gathering after the battle to discuss matters relating to it: namely, what happened to the guard units in that area that seemed to just vanish when the Federation came, and since this was obviously an attempt on Garma's life, who led it? The general Federation military? Their command structure had mostly been driven out of America by that point. So who was in charge?

"Do we know who was in charge of this assassination attempt?" Emmerich questioned aloud, both not knowing and also wanting an answer.

Schmitzer, who had just arrived in a wheelchair, spoke up thanks to actually knowing, "We were fortunately stationed nearby and were able to intervene against a fleeing transport and its guard retinue. It appears that the one who organized the affair is a politician by the name of Eschonbach."

Amir was mulling over the list of those wounded and dead in the affair when his hand clenched the paper. He did his best to hide his anger as he put the report down and stood up from where he had been reading it, "His daughter is one of the casualties..."

"We have Eschonbach in custody, awaiting interrogation. I am not sure who should have jurisdiction over him at this point, but..." Schmitzer's voice trailed off as he thought of whether Kycilia's forces should get a crack at him thanks to their military intelligence focus, or if Garma's army deserved the head of the man who tried assassinating him. He stopped speaking because his former squad member had stalked out of the tent they had been gathered at and was going towards where the captured transport had just arrived under the supervision of a Zaku-I piloted by Roher's squadmate Master Chief Petty Officer Matt Austin.

Emmerich half chased after his own partner, not knowing what the other man intended to do, but also not sure if he could stop him if he tried thanks to his own injuries from the battle beginning to ache, "Amir!"

Schmitzer nodded for Roher to follow Amir, the blue haired ace pilot of Midnight Fenrir doing as instructed but also not drawing too close to Amir as the man opened up the transport and entered it. He hovered close enough to observe, but also held back an officer by the name of Darota from going to intervene.

Inside, Amir found the former mayor sitting unattended and also unchained. He had been locked inside, so they hadn't bothered to do anything to him yet. Seemingly unbroken by being defeated and captured, Eschonbach looked pridefully up at Amir as the pilot stood over him.

"Your daughter died."

This brought a moment of shock to the old politician's eyes, but he soon recovered and looked away from Amir with disgust forming at his lips.

"It serves her right for trying to court that monster."

Amir placed a hand on the wall behind Eschonbach, arm reaching over the man's shoulder threateningly, "You knew she was there and you still attacked."

"She was no daughter of mine if she would side with that Zeon brat over her own father," Eschonbach spat.

It did not take much effort or time at all for Amir to move his arm from looming over the politician's shoulder to be gripping his throat. While not the strongest of men, Amir was still able to lift the other man up by his neck even despite Eschonbach's size, slowly choking him with barely restrained anger seeping out, "Abdominal wounds, left arm crushed, two broken legs, and a concave skull. That's what the report said an innocent woman, your daughter, suffered. Not to mention all those who are dead because of this."

Eschonbach tried to say something in response, but he failed thanks to being thrown to the floor. He tried to push himself to his feet, but his left knee was unable to oblige thanks to it being stomped on with a boot.

"Let me see how good an artist I am. I am good at copying things, but some creative expression may be necessary."

Outside the vehicle, Lieutenant Roher had stepped aside to not bear witness to what the causes of the various screams and yells he could hear was. Having heard that a man had killed his own daughter, not even the straight laced military man could say he pitied whatever Amir was putting the man through. If he truly had an objection to torture he wouldn't be willing to work two people under from Kycilia Zabi, who wrath would likely make that displayed here appear kind.

Still, he did not actually condone it, and so he poked his head back eventually to check on the display: Eschonbach's face was bleeding from a gash and was swollen, his left arm was bent in a way it shouldn't be going, his right arm was clutching his chest like some ribs had been broken, and neither of the man's legs looked like they could be used. Eschonbach was trying to speak through his bruised and broken face to Amir, who had picked him up by the collar.

"Please, I'll tell you whatever you want to know..."

Amir avoided an accidental spit of blood like he had avoided getting any other signs of the man's beating on him except unavoidable bruises on his own hands, then dropped Eschonbach to the floor casually as if he was just dropping a piece of food to feed pigeons at a park, "I would continue, but I won't because Lord Garma would not want you killed before you are tried and found guilty of the assassination against him, as well as the murder of the other attendees including your daughter."

While normally not verbose, Amir was willing to spare quite a few on this man who he had come to despise in a day more than almost any other he had met. A firing squad would not bring back the dead, nor would it be a just payment for someone as fiendish as this in Amir's eyes.

"Creatures who do not understand what they have and throw it away are not fit to call themselves Human."

He would never bring it up, but Emmerich would come to have a feeling that perhaps the killing of one's own family in an unrepentant manner had set off the orphan who had never known what it was like to have one himself.

* * *

"Lord Garma!"

After things had settled down and a lot of administrative matters had been taken care of, Garma's guard paid him a visit and found that unlike before he was awake. All three were grateful that he was okay, for they were worried that he might have suffered more severe wounds than what was obvious at the time of his recovery. This worrying had to be buried in front of the other soldiers for the sake of looking unprofessional, even if they were his guards, to care on a personal rather than professional level about their superior.

Garma for his part just seemed happy to be alive and was smiling at all three of them as they knelt before him at the medical tent that had been set up nearby the rubble of the building that fell on him, "At ease. I hear there was quite the battle while I was unconscious."

Urabe was the first to speak from their group, his head bowed in shame, "We beg your forgiveness sir for allowing matters to escalate to this point."

"Thanks to you all I'm alive. What's there to forgive?"

"If we had done our job better, perhaps we could have prevented this from even happening," Emmerich suggested, remembering that Eschonbach had been at the party and that perhaps they could have overheard something from him that could have implied this attack.

Garma scoffed at the prospect, "You're not omniscient. You didn't know a madman would shell a building with his own daughter in it, but you did react to it and saved my life. So I am grateful, not upset, for you are not at fault for the actions of the mayor."

The three guards thus begrudgingly accepted the waiving of fault on their part, even if Emmerich and Amir still both personally felt guilty to some degree. The trio did not know what next to say though, and Garma himself lapsed into silence as he looked over a document that was a replica of what Amir had be looking at before: the casualty report, showing who was wounded and who was dead. In particular, Garma seemed saddened by the part that Amir had stopped at himself, that of the now deceased Icelina Eschonbach.

Amir bowed his head in recognition of the tragedy, "I'm sorry about the mayor's daughter, sir. She seemed like a kind woman."

To hear comforting words from his coldest guard actually surprised Garma, though he tried to hide his pain and appear stoic. He had hit it off well with the noblewoman and had actually enjoyed speaking to her unlike the others he had met there, making the fact that she had died so soon all the more tragic since he felt like he had wanted to get to know her better, "Such a pointless death...If even one small thing had been different she may have lived, but now she lost her life because her father's prejudice."

Garma gripped one fist a moment before taking a breath and letting it out slowly, trying to calm himself as he felt anger swell within him. While not as quick to jump to fury as Amir, he still was furious at how a man had slain his own daughter.

"Where is he?"

Urabe saluted as he explained the situation, "The Midnight Fenrir force belonging to your sister currently holds custody of him, sir. He might not be in the best condition at the moment though..."

Garma nodded and smirked to himself, a small sigh passing his lips as he glanced over at Amir, "I see. I should reprimand you, but I am afraid my head is in such pain that such a punishment has slipped my mind."

Amir bowed gratefully, having expected some kind of punishment but now ever grateful to his lord for not visiting one upon him for breaking rules and a man, "Thank you, my lord."

Garma shrugged, wanting to move on from the subject of Amir beating a man half to death and onto something else, something he was actually pleased about, "I'm sure you all will be rewarded after this, though it makes me wonder how I should repay the person who dragged me out of danger. Is there a medal for saving your superior while drunk?"

Urabe looked around, not finding Kinue in the immediate vicinity, "Where is she anyways?"

Their lord decided to actually punish Amir in that moment, only in a more playful way that would actually get to him unlike any military or physical punishment would, "Sleeping off all that alcohol from the party I think. Amir, tell Urabe about her time at the party."

Realizing that he was about to be humiliated, Amir closed his eyes and recalled the events in as basic a manner as he could, "Miss Crossroad drank alcohol throughout the entire event, as I mentioned over the radio, and refused to stop drinking even when told to."

"I think you're leaving out the best part," Garma laughed, wanting his close combat expert to explain how he failed to get a drunk woman to hand over her wine.

Amir didn't play along and instead stayed silent, so Emmerich nudged his friend in the side with a smirk on his face, "Amir here tried grappling the alcohol out of her hands, but not did she manage to, while drunk, outdo him, she didn't even spill any!"

Urabe laughed now as well, the sheer absurdity of it helping relax him from the stressful day, "I see that the self-defense training I've been putting her through is working. While I doubt she could take one of us in a serious fight, I'll give credit where credit it due."

Realizing that while he was upset at being the current laughingstock that he was still grateful that he was not actually being punished, Amir let the heckling go. Besides, it was not as if he would actually do anything anyways since it was Garma making fun of him.

Once they had their laugh, Urabe calmed down to bring attention to the Gaw that was being prepared to leave, "Let's pack up here and get going. We could get attacked again and I personally don't feel like dealing with more Federation soldiers. We'll have our forces mop up any more of the conspirators in the area."

The others were going to agree with his assessment when someone stumbled over their own feet and landed on the ground in front of them, letting out a pained "Owwww..." as they tried to get back up in a bumbling manner.

While Amir was busy smirking at how he no longer was going to be the one being made fun of, Emmerich was laughing, and Urabe was confused, Garma moved to help a still partly-drunk Kinue. Given the amount of alcohol he knew she drank he was surprised she had managed to make it all the way over to them without falling over, not to mention pulling him out of a collapsing building. Luck in the case of the latter, a surprising fortitude in the case of the former.

"Are you okay?" Garma asked of his associate as she rubbed her head while he worked on standing her up again. She used the nearest table as a way of keeping herself up, and her face was flushed as she tried to figure out if she had to look left or right to see Garma.

"Yeah, Prince Charming, I'm okay. See?"

She tried to prove herself sober-ish by no longer using the table to help her up, but her head was pounding so hard that she fell over despite her best efforts. Having not really had alcohol before, Kinue would not be having alcohol at all in the foreseeable future once this was over, of that she was determined.

Watching the normally competent aide bumble about was amusing to Amir, who had been humiliated by her earlier by his own doing, but he noticed something about her face: her cheeks weren't flushed as she fought to stand up. Some people would look like they were blushing when they were really just drunk, but she wasn't displaying that.

Then Garma again aided Kinue in standing again, believing with good reason her to be one of the reasons he was alive that day, and the flushed cheeks returned on the reporter.

Thinking to himself, Amir mulled over this observation he wouldn't have made before his perception training prior to becoming Garma's guard, "Wait..."

He smirked as he came to a conclusion in that moment and made his mind up.

"Yes."

Emmerich looked over to him confusedly, "Yes?"

"Yes," Amir repeated, giving no further explanation.

They both knew their friend's secret at that point, but neither knew the other knew.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! For any wondering, no, Garma doesn't have a single inkling that a certain somebody likes him. If Garma was the sort to pick up on what others truly thought about him, Char would have not killed him in-canon. Do expect some minor angst from him though concerning the fact he just lost someone he connected with though, so fair warning in advance.**_

 _ **As always, your thoughts are always welcome and I hope to hear from you! Thanks for reading!**_


	18. New Type of Technology

_**A/N: Special thanks to Jaenera Targaryen and mdc1957 for your reviews last chapter! They are very much appreciated and I hope to hear your thoughts as we continue onwards!**_

 _ **This one was a bit difficult to get through since it was one of the play by post segments. On paper this would sound like it's easy to just copy and paste, but in reality I had to take three different people's writing and fuse it into one coherent narrative since everyone has their own quirks. I tried to eliminate them so it would appear to be one consolidated way of speaking, but my apologies if anything slipped through the cracks.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below!**_

* * *

Never one to let go of a slight or grudge, Amir had an agenda on his mind when he returned to their main base following the conflict in New York. Specifically, he was interested in confronting a certain media expert over their getting drunk at the party. Before his shift for the day and first thing he could do after rising that morning Amir set out to find her.

It wasn't that he disliked her, particularly when compared to others he had come to meet, but he still held firm to his belief that she shouldn't have been drinking there at all, and that the resulting incident with them grappling over wine would be best if not repeated in the future.

However to his surprise, when Amir left to find Kinue he opened the door to find her standing outside. Her hand was positioned as if it had just been about to knock, and she seemed partially startled by the sudden appearance of the pilot. Having slept both after the attack and on the way back, she was fortunately not displaying signs of the copious amounts of alcohol she drank and seemed capable of an actual conversation.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. Are you going somewhere?"

Amir, although briefly astonished, responded calmly to her sudden appearance after the initial shock, "Actually Ms. Crossroad, I was looking for you. Please come in," he said as he gestures back into the empty room. It was still fairly early in the morning, and it appeared that Emmerich was still asleep in his own area, "How can I help you?"

The reporter graciously entered and took an open seat. Once seated she grew a bit bashful as she thought of what to say.

"I feel like I owe you an apology. While I couldn't have known that the building would collapse, my drinking could have gotten Garma and I killed. If I had passed out, or if I hadn't been capable enough to help him...

She looked up towards the window, seemingly unable to look the pilot in the eye as her voice trailed off. It was obvious by looking at her that she not only was regretful over the amount of alcohol that she ended up consuming, but that it also could have ended up hurting someone had she been less capable of handling it.

Amir remained standing, his voice shifting to be more like the one he used when on duty, "It was incredibly irresponsible and inappropriate, and you're right it almost got both of you killed," he paused just for a moment before sitting down next to Kinue, "But I understand. And nothing came of it...I accept your apology, but please in the future remember that you represent both Zeon and Lord Garma. Everything that you do in public is representative of that."

"Of course. I'm one of the ones tending to Garma's career now after all. I am thankful that your team was able to do their job and stop them in the end," she sighed and leaned back in the chair before finally looking up to meet Amir's eyes, "I know it's your job to protect Garma, but can I ask you a favor?"

"Of course," Amir said back without hesitation. While he was upset by her actions the day prior, he knew some of it was his own fault for how he handled the situation and also stemmed from his irritation at the circumstances they found themselves in. If the room hadn't fallen down on them he doubted his temper would have been risen to this degree, and since she was taking responsibility for her own part he was beginning to calm. Part of his issue stemmed from the fact that someone he actually held in some kind of regard was the one who he felt was making a fool out of herself, for if Kinue were someone he didn't know or didn't like he would have taken more serious complaint to it all.

The request being made would end up being a simple one, "Don't die. I think we all know Garma's coming to have a soft spot for you guys, and here on Earth I don't think he really has anyone else he knows that well or can rely on. You weren't there, but when he was coming to from his head trauma he was worried about you all."

That earned a smile from the normally cold man, "Well I can't promise anything, but I'll certainly do my best."

"That's relieving. I'd hate to see you guys get hurt too, since I do kind of owe you my life," a grin slowly transformed into something wistful, with Kinue's thoughts concerning death reminding her of a recent personal tragedy of sorts, "You know, I'm actually pretty sad the mayor's daughter died. Not only did she not deserve what happened to her, Garma actually was doting on her. He could have used that."

Amir stared blankly at the floor. His fists clenched and his brow furrowed as the death of Icelina resurfaced in his mind, specifically the culprit: her bastard of a father who would no doubt be interrogated for all her was worth before being executed for his attempt on Garma's life.

Kinue had heard about Amir's beating of the man behind it all, and so she didn't care to press that button, causing the room to fall silent...at least until Kinue felt enough time had passed to broach another, related topic: shifting from the actions of a Federation official to the organization itself.

"I don't think I've ever told you why I'm not the Federation's biggest fan, besides the obvious," she cracked a grin, but it was one that held pain behind it, "When I was younger the Federation imprisoned my father for revealing the corruption of one of their officials. Not long after, my father died in prison. My brother Saji was just a kid, and I was just a teenager. We had no-one else, and they certainly didn't make life easy on us. I had to use some of the money my father left behind to fight for the right to look after my brother and not just have him be sent to some foster family. People didn't want to help us either, since at the time it seemed that doing so carried a death sentence."

The reporter crossed her arms over her body where she had been shot months before, "I hoped that by doing what my father did I might be able to draw attention to what they were doing, might be able to shed more light on the corruption and the power consolidated in a select few who manipulate so much else, but as soon as I really got my first chance they tried having me killed. I should have been more careful I guess, but I wanted to make my father proud."

"Well then, you know what you must do."

Amir's response was terse, but that much was expected of him. Having dealt with the taciturn soldier for a little while Kinue had no real expectations of him acting any other way.

"I am just trying to follow my father's footsteps, and if my choice is finding it on Zeon's side or dying on the Federation's, I suppose my choice has been made for me," Kinue turned back to the window where the sun was dawning, "My own feelings aside, I want to see where Garma's career takes him. There are few like him in politics today, and I want to see if his idealism can win out against the cynicism of his brother Gihren and the Earth Federation."

Amir thought of something as she said this, and so after she did he asked earnestly, "Miss Crossroad, if I'm correct you owe me a favor or two, right?"

"More than I would like to. Anything you need my help with?"

First he checked to see if Emmerich was still out of commission, and then he made sure the door was close. This done, he looked into his visitor's eyes fiercely, but his voice remained calm, "Garma is the only on who should be leading Zeon. Not Degwin, not Girhen, not Kycilia," He paused for a moment, looking back to the rising sun, "He was born a leader, and I truly believe that one day he will bring freedom and peace to the whole Earth sphere... But he is still very young," his attention returned to Kinue, "I believe we all must do what we can to make this a reality, and I ask you to help me with this goal. That soon, Lord Garma will learn what he is truly capable of and take his steps as a true leader."

Thinking his little speech a bit cheesy, the reporter cracked a grin while still agreeing with his assessment, "So I see we're on the same page. While a fine politician, Sovereign Degwin is too lenient with Gihren. Gihren had his own troops gas a colony while thinking it was tear gas. Lady Kycilia lacks the charisma the rest of her family does," she let out a tired breath, "Leaving Garma and Dozle. Though rumor has it that Dozle is hoping to one day serve under Garma, so it seems he has the same intuition we do."

Kinue sat up straight in her chair, "Still, I only have what Garma has available in regards to resources, as well as what little Kycilia has to lend me in terms of what intelligence she has gathered. I am already doing everything I can to assist Garma, but I can always work on more personal assignments to help work against Gihren. I feel that if Gihren is removed as a political threat that Degwin will have Garma be named the next Sovereign, as he is the favored son of Zeon."

There was a problem with this hypothetical, fantasy scenario...Gihren not being in power. It wasn't as if either of them was really in a position to change that very important aspect, so this was all just speculation rather than anything concrete. Furthermore, while war was turbulent, there was the fact that once the war was over there were two likely outcomes: either Zeon won and Gihren used the victory to seize power for himself, making himself near untouchable, or the Federation won and the entire Zabi family was rooted from power. Neither situation afforded Garma any real chance, so not only was Gihren himself an obstacle, but time itself stood in the path to their preferred outcome: while Amir wanted Garma in charge of everything, Kinue would be content with the Federation and Zeon coexisting with Garma in charge of Zeon and forcing compromise.

With all this in mind, her face scrunched up, "After the war is over Gihren will consolidate his power, silence those who oppose him like he did before it. Garma would have to make a large name for himself pretty soon as a battlefield commander if he is to stand in Gihren's way. That, or win over even more support than he has. It would have been so much easier for Garma to gain power if the mayor's daughter had not died though. If Garma could have fostered a relationship with her, he would have had an easy ticket to boosting Zeon's morale. A public cross-faction wedding, with the blessings of his family of course, would be the perfect media outing by drawing in Federation support when coupled with Garma's popularity in Zeon. From there Zeon could push and maybe win the war, with Garma taking the credit for the Earth Invasion."

She vented out an exasperated breath, "But, as of now, we have none of that. I'm going to need to find new plans for Garma if we're to actually accomplish anything on this front."

Amir did not know what else to say, so he just shrugged it off. There was still plenty of time for things to happen and for an advantageous moment to occur, "I'm sure you'll come up with something. But only time will tell..."

Not wanting to be the sole one coming up with the ideas, Kinue pressed the soldier on the subject, "So do you have any ideas that I can work with?"

"Nothing specific. I'm hoping that he will continue to train with my team, and we can teach him more about the military. He's very popular and he's not a bad commander, but he still has a lot to learn. That will be my job."

"Well, if it helps any I can see if I can persuade him into reading the military books he is currently only using as scenery. He's prideful enough that I could probably bait him into reading one or two for every time I beat him in chess."

Amir let out a short laugh, "Ha, sure why not. I suppose the kid can use all the help he can get," he turns back to Kinue, standing above her, "Also Ms. Crossroad, I don't need to tell you that what we are speaking about now you must never tell to anyone. I think we both know what the consequences of that would be," he paused for a moment, looking toward the door to the other room, "We may both have our own reasons for... disliking certain members of the Zabi family, but we do not know who else may feel the same...and this is not something I am willing to risk."

"Nor am I, especially after the Antarctic Treaty. Half a year, and I can still remember what it feels like to be shot," she spoke back half jokingly, though nervousness hung in her tone, "You and your partner probably should get ready for your duties. I should be working more in Garma's office these days, so look for me there if you need anything. I'll do what I can with him, but if anything comes up on your end or if you have any ideas please let me know."

She got up to leave before a thought struck her, "Oh, I almost forgot. You asked me to find more out about Rakshata and Urabe, right? I have some more information if you still want it, though we should probably talk later about it."

"You know where to find me," Amir said plainly while offering a respectful salute, "It appears we have a lot of work ahead of us Ms. Crossroad."

"You can say that again. Try not to die in the meantime though, and that goes for your team as well. Garma has serious attachment issues. It's half the reason he's terrible at chess."

* * *

Waking up later on than his partner, Emmerich rose none the wiser about the conversation his partner just had. Free from actual duties for the time being, Emmerich sought out Rakshata. Despite her seeming apathy for the pilot and his lowly Zaku-II, the Lieutenant Commander was eager to win her respect one way or another.

Emmerich arrived at the hangar bay to find Rakshata sprawled out on her couch lazily. She was observing the maintenance work being done on the mobile suits, but seemed to be utterly bored out of her mind.

Seeing this, the pilot walked over to the master engineer lazing about on her couch. It was clear to him that he would have to act first given that she had yet to acknowledge his presence, "Ms. Chawla, do you have a moment to speak? I know we're not exactly on the best of terms seeing as how I keep coming back sans mobile suit arms..." he smiled nervously, hoping she'd appreciate the levity at least somewhat, "...but I was hoping I could redeem myself. Perhaps make myself useful."

"I have all day if you want to talk. It's up to you when I'll stop listening," she yawned, "If you want to be a good boy you can help the technicians here fix the other Zakus that careless people have brought back in tatters. In comparison your Zaku is a masterpiece to the junk they walk in here...or drop as the case may be."

Finally looking up at him, Rakshata cleared her throat, "Or you can be a dear and fetch me that silly man Urabe. I want to know how he wrecked his Gekka the other day without being on a mission. Either or is fine, with both being preferable. The sooner the Zakus are fixed, the sooner I can direct the fixing of those useless Dopp planes. And the sooner they are fixed, the sooner I can actually enjoy my own projects."

Emmerich took the master engineer up on her offer to tinker with the collection of suits throughout the hanger. Where others may have seen this sort of labor as reviled but necessary, Emmerich regarded it as almost therapeutic. He hoped, day by day, to earn Rakshata's respect. With the high number of suits cycling through the hangar, one additional mechanic didn't have much of an impact, but the young Lt. Colonel built a relationship with many of the regulars found throughout the base. Though most of Emmerich's time was spent on duty for Lord Garma, he would find himself in Rakshata's presence more and more often as time would go on. Using this as some small leverage, he attempted to wring any morsel of the engineer's past from her seemingly impenetrable personality.

Carting a dolly full of miscellaneous tools near Rakshata, Emmerich chimed up, "Rakshata, I've been trying to wrap my head around the Guren's design. It's fascinating. That external cockpit doubling as an ejection system is really something. Have you been working on similar projects throughout your career? I imagine that sort of design isn't something you whip up overnight."

"I have been studying mobile suits and their related technologies since they first were conceptualized a decade ago. Comparatively, everything else is boring in mechanics when you think about it. The Guren, as well as the Gekka, are simply my beginning contributions to the field. The new Gouf lord Garma will be using upon its completion is even based off of those technologies, and it ought to be quite the machine in battle."

Rakshata smirked to herself, "I even have a few new projects in the works right now. I have looked at the combat data of both your partner Hiyento and your Captain, that silly man Urabe, and found there to be something different about their use of a mobile suit compared to your everyday pilot. My preliminary tests reveal the same difference in brain waves in each of them from a common human, and I am interested to see how and why this is effecting their piloting abilities positively. The Gekka has even been fitted with an experimental system to monitor Urabe's brain activity to test this idea, and I do hope it yields results."

She tapped her chin with her pipe momentarily before adding, "Even though you do not display those same inexplicable skills, I could use someone to help me work on this project. It's not officially sanctioned, not yet at least, so I can't use my regular team in their work hours to test it out. Interested in some design work and data recording?"

Emmerich's eyes went wide. Having been expecting the usual sarcastic retort, Ms. Chawla's offer caught him completely off guard, "I..ye...yes! That would be fantastic!" The young Lt. Commander could barely contain his sudden enthusiasm, "Anything you need. Just say the word and I'm there!"

"Well then let me show you my data. I am hoping to somehow incorporate this increased performance into actual combat so as to increase life expectancy. We will have to see how things go though."

Rakshata brought the Lieutenant Colonel over to computers in the workshop and showed her improved designs for cockpits, though she made sure to note that they were all experimental and theoretical. Among these was the new cockpit of the Gekka, which had been outfitted with her recording system specifically made for the unknown brain waves detected. The new system itself did little other than act as a facility for the brain waves that is then directly recorded, though it added some slight bulk to its overall size.

Extensive data recording would need to be done to make anything come from it, though first it needed to be built which is what Emmerich was tasked with doing after the design was handed over to him. Rakshata noted that no edits were to be made unless necessary, and that it was fine if something doesn't work because the technology was all new and science does not only progress about what goes right but also by how things go wrong.

Emmerich scrutinized the data granted to him for some time, growing fascinated by this new domain of tech. While the experimental designs wouldn't be too difficult to construct on site with all the resources Garma had at his disposal as the leader of the Earth expedition, the brain wave collection system was completely foreign to the young engineer and so he would have to do some research into Human biology so he could best toy with the system that would bridge it with his technological creations.

"You say you've detected some type of signal within Captain Urabe and Amir? Do you really think it is augmenting their performance? They're both great pilots, but I've never heard anything like this before."

Rakshata shrugged, "How else can we explain that the two best pilots in North America display them while few if no others do? And the times Urabe and your partner don't exhibit them, their performance is ever so slightly lower. There is a connection of some kind, I just need to find what it is and how I can use it. I had others look at the data and they haven't noticed the same trends I have, but I am convinced of my findings."

The Lt. Commander chuckled under his breath. "Just great. My two wingmen are super soldiers. Where does that leave me?" He turned toward Rakshata, bearing his usual grin, "I'll begin piecing together these designs right away. It shouldn't be too difficult to get my hands on these materials. I'll keep you informed every step of the way."

Emmerich bowed his head before returning to the task at hand. "Thank you, Rakshata. This means a lot to me! I won't let you down!"

"I would hope not. Now go work and get back to me when you've at least accomplished something. I have an afternoon to spend lounging."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Next chapter will be a POV one told from Dozle's perspective, so hope you guys are looking forward to it! He's one of the most requested now via the poll I have up, one which I encourage you to vote on if you haven't yet.**_

 _ **Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below!**_


	19. Bonus: Lamentations of the Demon

_**A/N: Special thanks to Jaenera Targaryen and mdc1957 for your reviews last chapter! Thank you for your support, and I hope to continue hearing from you as we continue onward.**_

 _ **This chapter brought to you by the poll I have up on my profile page. Vote to determine who you want to see next in POV chapters! Priority is given to characters with higher votes and who have relevance at the time.**_

* * *

 _Character: Dozle Zabi_

 _Date: May 4th, 0079 Universal Century_

* * *

"Lord Dozle! The prisoner you requested is here!"

Already? I was not expecting him for another day or so, but I suppose now is as good a time as any.

Well, perhaps not. I would rather this have come up in an hour or two, outside of the time I spend with Zenna, but this is a matter that needs to be dealt with immediately. Not for any political or strategic reason, no, we already have extracted all of the information we could from this stubborn fool. No, this needs my attention post-haste because I cannot suffer this man's life continuing any longer than possible, but _I will_ see him and see to it that this is handed as it should.

"Excellent! Prepare him for me, I will be there soon."

Beside me my dear wife Zenna turns to look up at me, our height difference causing her to look more into my shoulder than at my face directly.

"Prisoner?"

She sounds curious, but I do not wish for her to worry. Halfway through carrying our daughter is not the time for her to be stressed, so I have been doing my best to keep any kind of serious matter away from her even going so far as to alter records available to her to make it seem like I do not actually go out and fight in my mobile suit. Come to think of it, I normally disallow soldiers from just barging in and interrupting my family time except for Shin and Gato, so I ought to give this intruder a small reprimand later...nothing too serious, but I do not want to have others spoiling my time with Zenna when they could wait or go through the proper channels.

I place an arm around Zenna's shoulder, my long reach allowing me to hug her from the side while reaching all the way around her, "Don't you worry Zenna. Just someone who needed to be transferred from Earth."

My attempt at deflecting the importance of this prisoner transfer is shot down instantly by my wife's knowing smile, one which prepared me for her words that followed, "Is it that man you were yelling about just the other day, that mayor?"

That is worthy of a kiss on the forehead I do believe, and so I lower myself down to put my lips against her head. I have to aim for her forehead more often than I would like since it would be hard for her to crane her head back enough for our lips to meet when we are sitting in our room like this, "Intelligent as ever, my dear. Yes, I arranged to have him pay us a visit."

Her expression appears to be quite sour, so I think she knows what I intend to do with this prisoner...

"He's not leaving, is he?"

I am glad that inconsiderate soldier has already run off to prepare Eschonbach for me, for I would not like to hang my head in front of my men like this. The thought of Joseph Eschonbach living, or even of him having his life taken by someone other than a Zabi now that he has dared threaten Garma's life, is a burden I do not wish to suffer any longer. Garma would be fair, he would give him a trial, go through the whole circus show before coming to the obvious guilty verdict and the obvious punishment: execution.

Even still, Garma is softer than he wishes he was, and so I will take this upon myself to settle. Garma need not bloody his hands. Perhaps this will even absolve Garma of criticism down the road, for it will not have been him to take Eschonbach's life but me.

"If he had tried murdering you, would I let him go?"

Zenna nudged me in the side of my stomach with her elbow, her grin revealing support I was uncertain I would receive or not: I married this woman not for her beauty but for her understanding of me. While she does not possess the same tolerance for violence as I do, I do not think many other women could bear a husband who they know is lying about how much they fight and who is the one often times who has to tend to whatever bruises and scrapes I come home with.

"I would hope not."

Having implicitly received her approval, I continue forth with my explanation for my decision to execute Joseph Eschonbach today, "He threatened Garma's life. My brother, Zeon's future, nearly lost because this man betrayed the good will shown to him."

My hands are nearly shaking with the rage I have buried since news first broke of the attempt on Garma's life. Father had been ready to have me mobilize my armada and take Earth by force at hearing Garma had come to any harm, but Gihren talked him down from the proposal that I honestly would not have minded: we have almost complete control here in Space, so why not help out Garma a little? It is a short ways from New York to Jaburo in terms of geography, and with a concentrated push perhaps we can finally rid the Earth of that accursed base that breathes life into the entire Federation war machine.

The shaking makes my taking of my gloves off difficult, but I manage to steady myself after a moment and a deep breath as I stand. With this new calm comes the balling of my fists as they rest at my side.

"He even killed his own daughter to do it. He won't receive the dignity of a firing squad."

* * *

I stand in the doorway of the interrogation room and I find myself pleased by what is waiting inside for me. Good, he has been prepared as I had arranged for when I made the transfer order.

By prepared, I mean he is suffering from all of the wounds inflicted by Amir without any medical aid having been offered to him except to make sure he remained alive all the way here.

As I step in the door closes behind me. This will be a private matter between this man and myself, no eyes watching and no records kept of the events that will transpire.

"Joseph Eschonbach, former mayor of New York city...you've made a name for yourself," I greet the man who is only able to sit because he has been propped up by the chair granted to him by my subordinates, his body gripped between the rigid seat and the room's sole table.

"Dozle Zabi, the hulking brute of Zeon..." the former Earth politician scoffed at me, not even looking up to see who it was addressing him. My confusion at his actually knowing me must have shown, since when the man finished hacking up blood resulting from his scoff he grinned through the blood at me, "I know you too, after you murdered not one, not two, but three of my friend's sons."

How quaint. He is trying to guilt trip me over something I came to realize a long time ago: that to be a soldier means to take the lives of one's enemies. The Federation has many reports I presume of my exploits, which include at this point thousands of Federation casualties if all combat is taken into account...though the number runs much higher if one considers civilian casualties.

Eschonbach continues to cough after he speaks, his lungs damaged and ribs broken. He cannot even use his limbs properly to move around like someone naturally does in a conversation, making him as emotive as a four limb amputee, a sight I have come to know since this war's beginning. I would pity this man's condition if he had not proven himself beneath my care, for while I can respect my enemies, I cannot abide those who would make war in the face of peace nor can I stand those who would harm their own flesh and blood.

He tried slaying Garma while Garma was offering a hand of friendship, something only my brother could have done: who but Zeon's prized son could come to Earth, conquer it, and befriend the locals? Garma possesses a talent I never will, and it has been my hope for many years to one day see him as a leader of our nation. For him to command me and be the one to lead our way forward.

That will not ever happen if disgraceful little _punks_ like this politician feel free to try and ruin the future of both of our people.

"I see Amir handled you gently..." I take the seat opposite Eschonbach, barely fitting in it even though a larger one had been procured for my usage, "This friend of yours, is he a fellow politician? A rich benefactor?"

Eschonbach leaned back in his seat as much as he could, this seeming to do wonders for his breathing as he managed to speak without coughing half as much as previously, "A man I have known my whole life. When you took his children, his wife took her life, having already lost the rest of her family to your gassings and your colony drop."

I do not ever remember asking for forgiveness for Operation British or its fallout. As a soldier, I did my duty, and that is a decision I have had to live with ever since. Am I supposed to drop to my knees and beg to be absolved of blame because he knew someone whose life was ruined by it? He must believe me to be some true monster if he does not believe I have _already_ lost sleep over my part in the death of millions. What is one more anecdotal tragedy upon the loss of life I must already cope with? I cannot think lower of my blind following of Gihren, but what am I to do? Forsake my entire family? My entire nation?

If Zeon and the Zabi family are to fall, I shall be the one to go down with the ship so that others may escape it. I will serve to protect those who do not hold the guilt that I have now, fight to protect them from having the labels of "war criminal" placed atop their heads when that title belongs to my brother and I alone. Not even Father is deserving of the blame for what has transpired in this war, for he entrusted Gihren with our nation, with our path forward...Gihren's mistakes are his own, while Father's only one was thinking that we would be actually capable of winning this drawn out conflict in such a blitz under Gihren's command.

I will not show this cretin remorse however. If anything I regret that he was not among those who died thanks to my failure, for the goal was to rid Earth of men like this. If only those who suffered had been the guilty, as intended...still, I will not show weakness to this man, even if none will ever be any the wiser to this exchange. I want him to question his infallible allegiance to the Federation before I finish here.

"A boy I knew growing up might have had three sons by now, if he had not starved to death because his family could not afford to feed everyone and the government was only able to help so much. Starvation and poverty forced upon us because the elite of Earth saw fit to subjugate those of Space as if we were their belongings. Sending your undesirables into Space was not enough I suppose, but oppression had to follow that has wreaked damage across our entire society," I catch my hand running across my face where deep scars mar what hadn't been the handsomest of faces before. My friends in the gangs I associated with when I was younger weren't the only ones who suffered though, as the map of tragedy carved onto my features show to all who see it for what it is. I could have had surgery to remove these scars or lessen them anytime in the past decade, but if I remove them, who else will remember what was lost then?

With a sigh, I add in a voice ever so slightly quieter than my usual one, "There is a brother I do not have today either because of terrorists born of the turmoil we have suffered. So, _tell me_ of how the people on Earth are just now suffering."

Sasro...if only you were here, perhaps you could have kept Gihren from taking us to where we are headed now. You were always smarter than me, and if any one of us inherited Father's mind and spirit both it was you. Garma is too kind, Kycilia too cold, while I do not possess the trappings of a politician, leaving Gihren, who is eroding my once absolute faith in our family every day.

Where is he but Side Three while we fight with our lives? Where is he to see the damage his decisions are causing? He may be giving speeches of the sacrifices our men are giving, but I do not believe for a second now that he truly understands the tragedy he has wrought on us all.

I stand up and turn my back to Eschonbach as I reach out and punch a wall in this cramped room. I am not Garma, I cannot just talk through my feelings most of the time, I need to take action...he and I are alike in some ways, but he will always be my precious little brother who is too pure for this world. Without him, I fear our family would have fallen apart to in-fighting years ago. He loves each of us and in return each of us care for him, even Gihren: our brother went out of his way to help me arrange for Garma's safety on Earth some time back, and had insisted on donating some of his own Royal Guard for Garma's sake when Garma's was lost at the war's beginning. It took convincing to allow my friends to fill in that role, but I trust them with Garma's safety just as I entrust my own to Shin and Gato.

Garma...Father has always been right in his regret for having you follow in our footsteps. You wish to be like us, to live up to the Zabi family image and fill in the large shoes left for you, but if it means losing you to men like this, I...

No, now is not the time for that. I uncurl my fist and remove it from the now marginally dented metal I struck. I look down at my hands, hands with callouses and scars born into them by this war. I wonder...if I took Gihren's hands would they be as smooth as the day he was born? Perhaps that is unfair, for I am sure that even Garma's are well taken care of despite fighting on the frontlines, but the more I look at these hands the more I am reminded of the dead who I can almost hear whispering and nipping at my conscience each day.

"I am not proud of the path we are all walking. Things cannot continue like this if Humanity is to survive, but we continue this mutual struggle each day despite knowing this."

My words seem to have only infuriated Eschonbach, who I suppose is confused that I am daring to suggest that perhaps we both are the ones to blame for all of this. Perhaps not him specifically, and perhaps not me, but each of us have helped facilitate a government that now carries with it innumerable crimes and will forever drag them through their histories, provided they survive onward into the future.

"What would you know? What have you lost, compared to what you have taken?"

I look over to him and shake my head, letting loose some of the thoughts rattling through my head, "A valid question I am afraid I cannot satiate. I am complicit with the crimes of my brother, Gihren. He may give us direction, but I was the one who ultimately commanded our Space fleet and led the force behind Operation British, an operation responsible for the deaths of countless innocents, the destruction of so much territory..."

If I went back, would I even act differently? What could I have done? Would I be able to take a stand against Gihren, or would I even want to?

Garma does not know this, but the reason I fought Gihren to allow Hiyento and Emmerich to become his guards is not truly that I think they are our top pilots, even despite their combat skills. No, a part of me was fearful of what guards loyal to Gihren might do to our brother on Gihren's behalf...Garma is idealistic and will strive for the future he sees fit, fighting for the ideal of Zeon rather than the corrupt body it sits as today. Would he be truly safe with Gihren having a look right over his shoulder?

Maybe I am paranoid, but I fear what might happen if I were to actually oppose Gihren...I am not the schemer Kycilia is. I do not have the alliances and connections Father was able to foster. I just have my men and my family, and so as much as nothing scares me on the battlefield, I fear just what would happen if I was not in-step with my brother. I cannot even speak to Kycilia of these worries as much as she despises Gihren, given our own differences, leaving only Father and Garma who are both connected to each of us.

With guards loyal to Garma and I, _not_ Gihren, perhaps Garma will live on to fix not only what ills the Federation have inflicted upon Spacenoids, but perhaps what we have done to the people of Earth as well...I know Father feels the same, but for now I am left isolated within my own family, too afraid to even let Zenna know of my doubts beyond the most obvious in fear that somehow letting anyone else in will bring her and our unborn daughter harm.

I shake my head to cast aside those very doubts, instead verbalizing them.

"We believed we were ending the war and saving lives when we began our operation, but in the end we failed and ruined more than we could have imagined. My father made Gihren swear the operation would succeed. I played my part in it as a result of my belief in his capabilities, in how he could see a picture bigger I could not grasp, one that would better the lives of not only our people, but of the Human race."

"And still you kill for him..." Eschonbach tried to chew me out, an action undercut by his coughing and wheezing.

With my height leaning over the small table and staring directly into the face of the former Mayor was a simple affair, one which was validated in my eyes by him trying to squirm away despite possessing no true ability to, "No. Now, I fight for the men under my command. I fight for my family, if not for Gihren. I fight to protect all that we have, for if we lose this war not even my wife or our daughter would be spared the blame. Gihren and I may be complicit in the worst action taken in Human history, but the blame ends there. Our men believe in the cause we stand for, even if our personal motivations vary. They believe in my brother, Garma, and the hope he represents for them."

Just as leaning over was easy, so was picking up this semi-tall and partially overweight man from the seat by his collar, my one hand gripping him doing everything up to strangling him as I hoist him up towards the ceiling and above the table as his wounded limbs flail hopelessly.

"And so long as I stand, I will be the one standing in the way of those who would harm them. No Federation force could keep me from protecting the lives of either my men or family, and so one foolish politician who thought he could act so daringly as to **_attack my brother_** will be no different!"

If all of his ribs had not already been broken by the time he was handed over to me, being swung across the room into a wall as I still grip him by the neck will have done the job, for the wall was impacted with such force that it was dented severely.

"You speak of the damage I have wrought!? What of your own!? You murdered your own flesh and blood, killed your own people knowingly! Not a mistake, not without thought, but by your own hand!"

Hoisting him back up, I bring him close to me again so I can show him the extent of my anger. He is has stopped struggling, his face contorted in horror as if he is seeing the monster he first envisioned I was finally, and I do nothing to dispel this notion.

"I, Dozle Zabi, sentence you to death for the crimes of Lèse-majesté, your attempt on the life of a Prince of Zeon who was offering you a hand of peace, and for the murder of Federation citizens not in combat but born of your prejudice!"

Men like this do not deserve mercy when brought to justice...and so I will expect none in return when my time comes.

Upon finishing with the man, I speak only to myself, blood splattered across my uniform and face.

"Should the time come, I will accept the same so long as the blame rests with me."

* * *

"Sir, the Federation is attacking one of our supply routes nearby."

Of course they attack the moment I finish changing from one uniform to another. If this report had come a minute earlier, I would be in a pilot's suit now. I don't blame Shin for relaying it to me at the speed he did though, since he seems to have rushed right to my side and I know he is not the sort to dawdle.

What I just did was necessary for my family and for myself. We cannot allow others to think they can bring harm to us, Zeon's royalty, and escape punishment. That does not mean I am happy though, since a scheming politician is not a true foe...I just did in a more personal fashion what a firing squad would have accomplished.

A battle though? Well, there I could show them the power of the Zabi family and of our cause. For since the Federation knows not of our internal splinters, they see my carving of their weapons of war into pieces as symbolic of our nation as a whole. Today will be no different, and I will once again show the Federation why we are the rulers of Space.

"Oh, well then, it seems that my Zaku won't have to rust after all."

Shin crossed his arms, "You and I both know sir that you are not allowed to enter a combat zone as a direct combatant."

Our bodies are important to the state, our Father says...but in truth that applies to every one of us but me. If I were to die the people of Zeon would not mourn like they would upon losing Garma, Gihren, or Father. No, if anything I am the one who should be taking these risks, I am the one whose guilt means that if any soldier in Zeon were to die next I would be the one deserving of that distinction.

I shall not make it easy for them though, for I do not actually intend to die. My daughter will be born this September and I hope to be there to help shape her future to be the best it can...and for that I will fight through an entire Federation fleet by myself if need-be.

I grin to my friend and guard, "Yes, that is true, isn't it? It's such a shame that the Federation keeps attacking my forces while I am doing inspections in the area with my Zaku. I hate to disobey my father, but what am I to do when they catch me at such inopportune times?"

Shin grins back, having been pulling my leg, "I already had our suits prepared, my Lord, and the records of our departure can always be edited upon our return."

I wonder if Garma has anyone he trusts like this...he always was lonely when he was younger. There was that roommate of his in the academy, but does he have others he would trust his life with like I do with Shin? I hope that perhaps those guards I gave to him will become like family to him, just as I feel my own are to me.

"That's what I like to hear."

There isn't time to change into another uniform, for every moment we spend idly we are losing members of Zeon, so I depart with my pilot suit under my arm so I can change in the cockpit on the way. When we arrive at the hangar we meet my other guard, Anavel Gato, who unlike Shin is less cavalier about my taking to the battlefield. He respects the notion, but given his intense loyalty and zealous nature he still questions the fact that I dare put my fate on the line in battles such as this when another could easily take my place.

"Sir, is there a need to risk your own life? I am sure that Shin and I can handle these Federation dogs on our own, there's no need to place yourself in harm's way."

I laugh as we continue towards our Zakus, floating through the hangar weightlessly, "Gato, how many times has that worked on me in the past half year? I will fulfill my duty to our people and to my family and show the Federation who reigns supreme in Space."

This silences his opposition, since he knows he cannot truly convince me, but that does not mean he won't bring it up each and every time we head out to battle. It's his way of showing he cares, something I've come to respect in the normally cold man.

On the way to my Zaku though I see another custom Zaku other than my own green and gold one, Shin's white colored Zaku, and Gato's green and purple one: this one that is not normally in this hangar of Solomon is salmon colored, and it belongs to the blonde man hovering by it by the name of Char Aznable.

Garma knows how to pick his friends I suppose: Char proved to be one of our top aces, so it is no wonder Garma wanted this man as his roommate, "You there! You're Char Aznable, our very own Red Comet. Care to join us on the battlefield? The Federation is trying their hardest to have us take them seriously, but we'll be showing them their place soon enough."

Char bows his head, his facial expressions mostly masked by his...well, mask, "I would not want to take the glory of their defeat from you, Lord Dozle."

"Oh come now, you and Garma are quite the team I hear. I'd like to see your skills for myself."

Having him with us could make this operation go even smoother, so what could it hurt to have Garma's friend along for the ride? He managed to avoid the destruction at the Antarctic Treaty unlike Ramba Ral, so I think it would be fair to assume he has a good sixth sense since he too was present at the time of that Federation soldier stealing one of those idiot Tri Stars suits.

"If you insist, sir. I will try not to hold you back."

Char relents, and his words bring me to laugh.

"Did you hear that, Shin? The Red Comet thinks he might hold us back!" turning to all others in the hangar about to deploy, I raise my tone to have it carry, "Get ready men, our forces are under attack and I won't accept a single more casualty than is necessary! Is that clear!?"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

The ending tally would be four for Char, three for Gato, and two for Shin and myself for enemy ships destroyed, but I would like to think that my group working together caused us to share kills while Char shot enemies down while they were tied up with other things. Smart, but I would hate to be in an actual squad with him...

Char doesn't know it, but that was a test to see whether I should listen to Garma's constant requests to have his friend serve under him on Earth. Sorry Garma, but I think I'm going to hang onto him for now.

"Sir, Lady Zenna has requested that you join her when we return to base. She says she has prepared dinner and has sent your uniform to have your ketchup stains from lunch removed."

Ketchup? Wait...oh, that Zenna...

"Tell her I will be right there! A man of my size needs his food after all, and what kind of husband would I be if I did not enjoy my wife's cooking?"

If I could, I wish I could just spend my days with her, our daughter, Garma, and Father...but to earn that possibility, I will fight.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. If there are other characters you would like to see POV chapters from, visit my profile page and vote at the top!**_

 _ **Dozle is the brute of his family, but he's surprisingly smart and deep, which people often don't give him credit for. Hope that carried across here, even as it meshed with his bloodthirsty nature. He's not Alex Louise Armstrong 100% of the time, which certain depictions of Dozle tend to pretend he is, though he's not without occasional moments like that.**_

 _ **Thanks again for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the comments below!**_


	20. Practice Makes Less Imperfect

_**A/N: Thank you to Amir-015, Jaenera Targaryen, Kaiser Chris, and mdc1957 for your support last chapter with all of your reviews, and thank you to those who have favorited/followed as well. I hope you all continue to enjoy, and I am grateful for your support.**_

 _ **If you have any thoughts, they would be much appreciated in the reviews below!**_

* * *

Only a few days after Amir spoke with Kinue about their true loyalties and of the New York incident Amir was contemplating speaking to someone else who might be on the same page as them: Urabe. He had been a guard to Garma the longest so far and he was likely quite personally loyal to Garma. That did not mean of course that he would choose to aid Garma if an inter-factional conflict were to arise, or that he would be supportive of taking actions in preparation for such a matter, but it did mean he was more likely than many others to take Garma's side over Gihren's should they somehow manage to prop Garma up as a viable alternative for taking the actual position of Sovereign, as compared to Gihren's understated control over the whole government as Degwin let him entangle himself throughout it.

When he felt he had a day where he could do so between work and sleep, Amir followed his normal morning routine, an early rise followed by a solitary breakfast in the mostly empty mess hall. After finishing his meal he walked through the hanger bay to look for the Captain. This did not prove fruitful however as he failed to locate him, at least at first. While the search itself failed as Amir scoured the location he guessed Urabe would be spending his free time at, the reason Urabe would be there would soon point him in the right direction: Rakshata informed Amir that Urabe was presently at Garma's office, apparently having relieved the normal base guards of their duty early that morning out of boredom.

Amir thanked the mechanic for her aid before heading towards Garma's office, where he too would have to be stationed soon enough, particularly now that the general guard staff had been told they could get some rest.

Once he reached the office he could hear Urabe inside, and knocked politely to announce his presence. Hearing a call from Garma to come in, Amir opened the door.

At his desk, Garma was showing his age and had his feet up on top of it. In his hands was a book on military strategy that appeared as if it had not received much use up until now. By his bookshelf was Kinue, who was separating books into three different piles, who turned around to greet Amir with a nod. It appeared she had held to her word with making Garma do his research to improve his skills, though Amir was curious just how she did end up managing to convince him to be reading such a thick text this early in the morning.

He also would question what she was doing in Garma's office this early in the morning, but he had his theories on that and wasn't going to meddle in what wasn't his business...yet.

When Amir entered Urabe was standing by the door, the tall man smiling to Amir on his way in, "Hey Hiyento. What's up?"

Amir nodded to Garma and Kinue before addressing the Captain, "Sir," after showing his prince his respect first, he turned to Urabe as well with a new idea in mind, "I was thinking that today would be a great day to get some more training done, if you are available."

Urabe seemed excited by the idea, while Garma appeared crestfallen at the thought of his guards leaving him behind with his reading. Seeing this, and having intended already to suggest Garma come as well, Amir spoke again, "And of course, you too Lord Garma."

At the invitation to shirk the boring reading he had gotten his fill of at the academy Garma's eyes lit up and the book was quickly cast aside to Kinue's consternation. Beside Amir, Urabe snickered at Garma's obvious approval of the idea of training in their mobile suits, "I think we can work something out," Urabe's eyes shifted back to Garma, "Of course, Lord Garma will have to return to his regular duties later and catch up on anything he may not have read or done in the meantime."

To this Garma gave a sheepish smile, "Yes, of course. But knowing how to use my new Gouf wouldn't hurt at all."

The least enthusiastic about the idea was Kinue, who sighed as Garma started to get up to go, "You have your meeting with Marcenas tonight, have to handle the quartermaster issue, and your father wants you to call him, Garma. Don't take too long."

Perhaps to ease his own guilt for abandoning his office, Garma offered the same opportunity for his aide, "Well it's not like you can do much without me at the moment, so why not come join us?"

Kinue gave a weak smile in appreciation for the idea, but decided to turn it down given that unlike the three of them she didn't actually like combat or this whole war thing. Seeing Garma fight would be a reminder of what she wished he didn't have to do, "I am afraid I do not have the same predilection for giant mecha fighting as you all do."

Strolling in behind Amir, Emmerich stretched his arms out as he came in reporting for duty, "Mecha? Hah, I haven't heard someone call a mobile suit that since I last saw my dad!"

In an attempt to appeal to her job, Garma clued the others in to something they hadn't been aware of, "I'm sure if you took video footage of my new Gouf in action the people back on Side Three would love it."

Emmerich gawked at hearing that the new mobile suit was complete, "Wait, your Gouf is finished? I thought it still was being worked on!"

"Its first iteration, yes. I have been waiting for an excuse to actually try it out after all the work Rakshata's team has put into it."

Having just spent all his free time the past few days submitting himself to Rakshata's beck and call, Emmerich felt a bit annoyed that she hadn't bothered to inform him of the specifics of the Gouf's development...though of course he hadn't really asked all that much, "Darn, I wish she told me that while I was fiddling with that new brainwave thing of hers she was finishing up your suit...I may have even gotten to try it out!"

Hearing Emmerich want to use a suit other than his Zaku reminded Garma that of his team, Emmerich was the only one using an outdated mobile suit. Well, for a given definition of outdated since these other suits were only about one generation newer than the Zaku-II, "Do you wish to upgrade from that Zaku-II of yours? The Gouf line is pre-mass production and those around are just prototypes, but they outperform the Zaku line already in about every category here on Earth."

As much as he wanted new technology for himself, Emmerich was comfortable with his Zaku and didn't feel the need to change just yet, "Thank you for the offer, sir, but I believe I am fine for the time being. I have been working on some adjustments to it that make it uniquely mine, so a new suit isn't necessary."

Garma looked aside to see that Kinue was now giving him a blank stare, the implication that the more time he spent just standing there talking the more time he was wasting on this busy day. Agreeing while also still wanting to do anything but do that reading this early in the morning, Garma strode across the room and gestured for his guards to follow him out.

"Ahem, yes, let us be going. We can discuss the matter more on our way."

* * *

The four men assembled on a field by the base where there was ample space for them to run a training exercise, with the Gekka, Guren, and Emmerich's Zaku now standing beside Garma's personal suit, the Gouf. While still a prototype, it was designed to have increased performance from its predecessor suits the Gekka and Guren. While the mass production models would be colored blue, Garma's own suit was to be red with a green abdomen. Also separating it from the normal models was that this Gouf had a Dopp built into its back which formed the cockpit of the suit, giving Garma an escape vehicle to use if need be. This was an improvement of the ejection system worked into the Guren and Gekka thanks to Rakshata, whose focus on pilot survival was surprising given her haughty persona.

Garma spoke up once all of the suits were situated on the field and loaded with what amounted to paintball ammunition for their weapons so they could see who hit what without actually causing damage.

"Urabe and I will face you two, alright?"

Emmerich had been dreamily observing the Gouf's features when he was snapped out of his reverie to learn that he was going to have to fight against Urabe, "Why do you get Urabe? He's the best pilot!"

To his surprise Garma had a better reason than just wanting to win, since Urabe was indeed the most skilled of the four of them across the board, with only Amir matching him in close combat and agility but falling short in every other category, "Because I have less hands-on experience than you two do, while also being new to this mobile suit," of course just because Garma had a better, rational explanation as to why he should get Urabe did not mean he didn't also just plain want to win, "And I am the superior officer, it is only fitting that I have my Guard Captain at my side."

As their suits all separated to begin the exercise, Amir grinned at the challenge he was about to engage in, "We won't hold back."

"I would be upset if you would, so do your best in this exercise."

Emmerich chuckled as he heard permission to go all out in this mock battle, "What do we get if we win, sir?"

"Fired."

His subordinate's gasp made Garma sigh and clarify that he was joking, "I'm kidding. Let's leave our betting for chess for now. I am quite new to this Gouf after all, and I don't want to start betting on unknowns."

With his Gekka standing beside Garma's Gouf, Urabe cut in with a playful jab, "Sir when you bet on chess games it's a known that you will lose."

"You lose to Kinue too, Urabe," Garma shot back, not wanting to admit he really was kind of bad at chess, and not even for lack of practice but rather for personality reasons.

Emmerich snickered as the two of them traded barbs, "Good, keep arguing! It'll help us a lot."

That quieted down their bickering quickly, and soon they all were ready to begin.

"Okay, we begin when I say go, starting from three. Now...three...two...one..."

When Garma said his next word, three suits leapt into motion at speeds well beyond those of normal mobile suits...the exception being Emmerich's slower Zaku-II which was weighed down even more by the massive weapon and the accompanying shield it came with he possessed.

"Go!"

With Emmerich unable to keep pace with the others, he instead decided it best to dig in and hide behind the large shield protecting his suit as he aimed the cannon attached to it at Garma's Gouf. Amir could handle Urabe well enough in close combat and even though their Captain was better overall, Amir had a slight advantage in raw reflexes and was even in close quarters combat, so the fight would be close if they got near one another. Their heat swords were instead covered in paint pellets that would burst when they made contact with something, a simple on the fly invention Rakshata had made for their team awhile back when Urabe had begun teaching Amir and Emmerich how to work with him as a team.

As Emmerich opened fire in this "live fire" exercise that would leave their bases' mechanics groaning at how they had to repaint everything, Garma protected himself from him with the two shields his Gouf possessed, rendering the large bomb of paint useless as it splattered uselessly on them. Before Emmerich's next round could be fired however Garma lifted one shield while moving the other over to be more protecting, with something Emmerich noticed earlier attached to each of the shields now coming into play: gatling guns designed to attach to the edges and end of the shield.

As this occurred, the Gekka and Guren each were trading blows with their respective swords, their blades clashing off one another as each of the skilled melee pilots circled around and slashed at the other. Amir was slowly but surely gaining an advantage over his superior officer thanks to his marginally superior reflexes allowing him to grow ever so slightly closer to landing an actual hit as they fought, though Urabe had something up his sleeve as well. He unleashed smoke from his Gekka as Amir fought into him, and soon their two suits were engulfed in it: they could see one another, but not outside of the smoke. When the Gekka released this smoke however it also released a small amount of Minovsky particles, enough so that those inside and around the smoke would be questioning just where those within the smoke were.

Because of this, and because Amir did not want to give up his advantage, eventually Urabe managed to lure him into a trap by continually falling back: he timed it so right as Amir was lunging for a "fatal" blow that Amir was caught in the crossfire of Emmerich and Garma, the purple Guren suddenly painted red by Garma and tan by Emmerich. Conceding his defeat, Amir powered down his suit while slamming a hand down on his seat. He had been a second away from victory over his commander, and then it would have been two against one, which given the circumstances would easily have turned further in their favor.

With Urabe now free to circle around him, Emmerich tried to hide behind his shield while now taking aim at the guard Captain, only to find himself in a hail of red paint as Garma too maneuvered around to assail his back with two gatling guns worth of his own paint pellets.

This training would continue for a good deal of the morning as each of their suits accrued more and more paint, only to come to an end when their special ammunition ran out. Throughout the training Amir and Emmerich both noted that their prince was a fast learner, on top of already being skilled, proving that him being at the top of the Zeon academy along with Char Aznable was not just a sign of favoritism for Zeon's beloved prince. While more comfortable with ranged combat, Garma was still quite capable in melee and only just barely fell short in terms of skill against Urabe and Amir both while his aim at range outdid Emmerich by a bit.

With their training done, they departed from the field and prepared themselves for the long and busy day ahead of them.

* * *

On their way back, Amir spoke to Urabe alone, "Well Sir, what do you think? He's certainly improving."

Urabe had to agree. He had gauged Garma's combat skills earlier in the war and there was noticeable improvement, likely thanks to Garma running simulations whenever time permitted...it was not as if he had many hobbies here on Earth, so when they did manage to have a free moment Garma was determined to surpass his friend Char in skill.

"You can say that again. Now we just have to make sure he continues to live up to his potential. Too bad we all have to go to that meeting tonight or else we could practice more."

Amir noddd, "Indeed...also, sir, when you have some time I would like to speak to you more about some thoughts that I have. It can wait until it is convenient for you, but I wanted to let you know."

"Of course. Meet me in my quarters later and we can discuss whatever is on your mind."

Emmerich meanwhile split off from the rest of the group to meet with the mechanics to analyze the data from their sparring match, a process that took some time to compile and look into. It was some time later that he stumbled into Garma's office, not having really noticed that Amir and Urabe both were standing outside with the door closed behind them. They both were about to say something as he strolled in, unaware that he was interrupting a meeting.

"Sir, I analyzed the data from today's sparring match and-"

The soldier glanced up from his data to see that a lieutenant he had seen before on base but was not too familiar with personally was standing opposite of Garma. No-one else was present except the three of them, and the two speaking quieted down now that Emmerich was there, causing him to apologize as he figured out the situation.

"My apologies, didn't mean to interrupt yo," he bowed to help express his sincerity.

Garma looked back to the skinny blue haired lieutenant and gave him a nod to finish their conversation, "Thank you for bringing this to me, Darota. You are dismissed, but have this brought to M'Quve. Physical only, no electronic correspondence, and it is only for his and Kycilia's eyes."

The lieutenant, a man by the name of Darota, gave Emmerich a salute on his way out as a show of respect to his superior. Remembering then that he was fairly high ranked, Emmerich felt good about himself all of a sudden in contrast to his embarrassment moments ago.

Since they now were the ones in the room, Garma addressed his guard next and held out a hand to receive the documents he had asked for, "Emmerich, I would like to go over the data you brought if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course sir."

Once he handed over the files, Emmerich glanced back towards where Darota had left and closed the doors behind him. In partial jest but mainly out of sheer curiosity he whispered to his leader.

"So, did I walk into some James Bond stuff there?"

Garma barely caught the reference, but he smiled all the same, "In a way. It is a project of mine, but I am trying to keep the details under close scrutiny since the more I dive into the matter the less I seemingly know...sorry if I am being vague."

Emmerich rose a single brow as he inquired further, "Corruption? A scandal?"

"I am trying to find someone who is proving quite slippery. Just tying up loose ends," Garma explained as he began to read the combat data that had been analyzed and organized for regular consumption and not technobabble.

Seeing the statistics on the pages made Garma begin to smile to himself, "The Gouf truly did outperform my old custom Zaku. I will see to it that Gouf production is hastened, though it may come at the cost of some other mobile suits or the mobile armors our companies are trying to create."

The name sounded familiar but Emmerich wanted to make sure he knew what they were talking about, "Mobile armors?"

"Think mobile suit, but not humanoid. You should look into them, they can be quite impressive from the information I have come across concerning them."

That idea certainly had potential...not having to have a humanoid form could allow a mechanic to design all sorts of things. Probably more useful in space where walking wasn't as necessary, but surely an interesting concept all the same, "I think I will do just that, sir. Thank you."

Thinking they were done and that Garma was dealing with something confidential, Emmerich began to remove himself from the room before stopping at the sound of his name.

"Emmerich."

He turned back around to face Garma, who was still going over the combat information, "Yes sir?"

Garma slowly raised his eyes from the pages to meet Emmerich's, having some trouble ripping them away from the statistical analysis of just how amazing his new mobile suit was, "I know you are enjoying your Zaku-II, but I mean it: if you wish for a replacement, a more contemporary suit, let me know. As my Royal Guard you have access to the best our technology has to offer."

Always a smiler, Emmerich saluted his superior and expressed his thanks, "Thank you sir. I will have to take you up on your offer some time...maybe perhaps with one of those mobile armors when they're ready?"

Thinking that fair, Garma allowed the issue to come to a rest, "I will see about procuring one for you when they are finished, should they prove to your liking."

"Much appreciated, sir!"

With nothing further to discuss at the moment, Garma decided to once again let Emmerich leave and join the others outside while he returned to thinking about what he had been discussing with Darota prior to Emmerich's arrival, "If that is all, you are dismissed. There is some more work I would like to get to before we have to leave today for the meeting with that Federation official."

On his way out, Emmerich could just barely hear Garma musing to himself something.

"Galan Mossa...just how many aliases does this nameless man have?"

The name meant little to Emmerich, so he just decided to let the issue drop, but for Garma it would soon become a larger priority.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! If you have any thoughts, they would be greatly appreciated in the reviews below, and I thank you again for reading!**_


	21. Bonus: King to D1

_**A/N: Thank you to Amir-015, Kaiser Chris, and Jaenera Targaryen for reviewing last chapter! I hope you all continue to enjoy, and I hope to hear your thoughts especially on this special occasion!**_

 _ **Garma having Icelina would have been quite important for someone so obsessed with the love of others, since Garma in MSG shows signs of insecurity and weakness beneath his Princely facade. A stepford smiler in a way, who has to act a certain way but has deep issues effecting them. Icelina would bring Garma up from that point, but here Garma is without a new girlfriend following his New York expedition like he would have in-canon, so expect it to have an effect on him.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below on the longest chapter we've had yet!**_

* * *

 _Character: Garma Zabi_

 _Date: May 0079_

* * *

Fire.

 _Fire._

My Gaw is on _fire_.

 _Why is my Gaw on fire._

I was expecting to fly to a diplomatic meeting that could help foster relations with certain members of the Federation leadership, but instead my would-be method of transportation is being drenched in water.

Fortunately for whoever likely tried sabotaging my Gaw, they blew up the wrong one. The one beside my _Loki_ was destroyed rather than it, but due to their proximity it caused damage to the _Loki_ as well. So while my Gaw is being saved from further damage, its sister carrier the _Thor_ is gone now and will need replacing.

If I hadn't taken my time today to train in my new Gouf, I would have been at the airfield earlier. While I cannot say I would have been on the _Loki_ yet, I certainly would have been a lot closer to the danger than I otherwise would have been. I was one mobile suit exercise away from perhaps joining my brother Sasro...

Is this the nature of our politics now? To prevent me from meeting with their own forces who might help their war effort edge towards surrender, the Federation would try to assassinate me? Do they not realize how poorly that would turn out for them? My own care for my life aside, I would almost pity them after what Dozle, Kycilia, and even Gihren would do to those responsible.

Standing around and watching my Gaw burn with my mobile suit loaded inside of it will not do any good though. My soldiers know their duties and they will take care of this, though it means that I won't be going. Not when the Federation has tipped their hand. They may have been able to sneak a saboteaur onto our base or turn one of our members traitor, but they cannot attack us in full force.

Some officers try to all describe the situation to me while my bodyguards are sweeping the area for further threats. I don't have anything to do here now that things are ruined for the rest of the waning day, so I may as well go back to my office and call Father like I meant to earlier but came to put off until later. I wonder how he'll take hearing this news...

"Die!"

It is fortunate that this would-be assassin, likely the man who rigged the Gaw to explode, was foolish enough to announce his presence just as I reach the entrance of the base closest to the air field. Throwing myself to the side saves me from gunfire, and there is not exactly time to appreciate his seemingly poor aim as I rush to my feet and tackle him into the doorway.

"Don't fire, you may hit Lord Garma!"

Oh good, so my soldiers know what's happening now. Unfortunately that does me little good as I grapple with this Federation infiltrator who happens to be fairly larger than me: I'm not Dozle, I am not a heap of upper body strength, so while I had the initial advantage from my counterattack I am now actually being pushed back as he pushes back against my attempts to get leverage on him. Since I cannot fight him with strength alone, I can abuse the right leverage on him to stall for time and win by default: I have backup coming, and he doesn't most likely.

"Were you the one who did this?"

The question I was able to get out through grit teeth was met with his skull crashing down into mine, knocking me back and giving him the slight freedom he needed to pull out a knife and send it lunging towards me.

Fortunately my previous action in trying to gain leverage gave me the position I needed to grab and divert his attack, his fist sliding past me and the knife cutting through the air rather than my flesh. His hand strikes one part of the doorway and his grip on it weakens ever so slightly, bringing our relative strengths to an even balance as he prepares his next attack. His seemingly hurt wrist and the pain in his hand bringing him down to my level proves useful, as it lets me twist his arm as he swings the knife in towards my body.

Moving his arm however changes the arc of his swing, and while he did not cut into me, I just made him stab his own chest. His blood begins to spill out from his body as he furiously tries to grab for my neck, the only thing protecting me now being my arms. Using the training I have received from Urabe, I manage to bash away one of his arms by hitting it at the right point, and then shove forward the same arm to jab the knife in his chest.

With the large serrated knife now penetrating his chest and exiting his back, he slumps back and falls to the ground lifelessly. Of course this is the moment that my soldiers manage to reach us, their attention having probably been too captivated by the chaos of the explosion and the resulting fire to really notice _that someone was trying to kill me_.

Seeing the man beneath me and the blood now spilling out onto my boots makes me realize that with this man dead, I likely won't find out the details behind this attack, "Damnit."

Still, this man missed me at point blank range...he almost was as bad at combat as Darota. I am lucky for that I guess. If he had been an expert in close combat like Amir or Urabe, I would be dead right now, but somebody trained in sabotage is more along the lines of what is in my fighting capabilities.

Speaking of them, where even are my guards at this point? I look around, and it comes to my attention that gunfire has been going off during my fight. Oh. So that's where they are, fighting other people trying to kill me. That makes sense now.

The gunfire dies down soon enough, right alongside those who started the affair by attacking us. Once the other assailants are taken care of I am met by Urabe, who salutes me and gives me a quick report on the situation.

"Sir, we located two other Federation soldiers. Unfortunately we could not take them in alive. One used a grenade to try to take Amir with him, while the other died from his bullet wounds. The only allied casualties presently are some mechanics who were near the _Thor_ and the pilot of our Gaw, Turner. We are now searching for other possible threats, be they explosives or be they further attackers."

Good, so the base is going to be in an uproar for awhile...I honestly don't want to be a part of that. Particularly since I am the target it would seem. Still, I am glad that they were able to get a handle on the situation this quickly even if I did come across one would-be killer...and I am quite grateful that I have been taking the time to train with Urabe now. When I heard he was teaching Miss Crossroad to protect herself, I figured it would be a good practice to take up on my own. It's not as if I really do anything else in my supposed free time here, and with how many times I come under direct threat it's a worthwhile investment, as this man bleeding on my proves.

"Please look into it."

Urabe salutes me again, but before leaving he poses an important question.

"Sir, what will you do?"

To be honest I don't know what the answer to that is. I suppose I will go and talk to my father now...I don't really know what else to do. With my soldiers knowing what to do here, I am not needed, and I could probably use a conversation with family...I don't get to do that all too often these days.

"I cannot go to the meeting I intended to tonight, so I may as well go and call my Father earlier than I thought I would."

My guard captain nods to this, but then sends a small army of soldiers to accompany me. I suppose I understand the reason for them, but having a dozen people surrounding me is a bit suffocating. We leave for my office, but I make the soldiers stand outside: not only do I not want to deal with them, but no-one except my top officers and aides have been in my office so it should be safe, and I really don't want normal soldiers being privy to personal conversations with my father.

It takes a couple minutes to set up my call to outer space, and the static and interference is horrible, but I manage to get through to my father as intended. He appears on the screen and I can see that he is in his office, likely keeping himself busy much as we all have been these past months. At his age he could retire and no-one would blame him, but he continues working, showing just why he is the man who Side Three has relied upon all this time. Another man in his position could have just deferred all tasks and duties to others and ruled as a simple dictator who did as they pleased, but not him. He actually does care about the future of our people, of the goals set forth by his friend, Zeon.

"Father."

He smiles at me when my image becomes clear on his own monitor, the communication flaws appearing on his end as well, "Garma, how are you?"

How am I?

Alive. That's important I suppose. I almost wasn't just a few minutes ago.

He'll find out sooner or later I think about this incident, so I may as well just tell him now.

"The plane I was going to be taking today is currently on fire."

He is taken aback by this, seemingly shocked in horror at the thought that I had been on a fiery Gaw, "Are you alright?"

To dispel some of his fear, I explain the situation a bit further, "Yes, I fortunately was not on board yet. There were only a few casualties, three of which were Federation soldiers who infiltrated our forces."

Despite my efforts, he still appears to be put off by this situation. His face is holding a simple scowl that is not directed at me, but which still shows that he is sad, "It was a mistake to let you go to Earth by yourself. Dozle or Kycilia should be there with you..."

While I must admit that I would loathe being away from my family a moment more than is necessary, I would not want to have them diverted from their important duties that carry life and death consequences just because I am lonely.

Lonely...a funny word to use for myself, given that I am surrounded by an army, but how else can I explain the feeling of isolation I have? The only people I can talk to like normal Human beings are my guards, and Kinue, but they are also my subordinates and so that dictates just how they act back towards me. It's part of why I appreciate having Kinue around here actually, since she is the only one who is willing to regularly question me.

Well, sometimes others do question me, but it's not in the constructive back-and-forth debate matter I have come to expect from my media expert. There are high ranking soldiers who actually would be giving me orders if not for my command over the Earth invasion which puts them under my umbrella. This has bred some resentment towards me from these individuals, who see taking orders from me as taking orders from a naive child. Whatever my merits may be, I cannot change the fact that I am only twenty, and others judge me based on that fact.

If I win this conflict though, if I succeed at defeating the Federation here on Earth, then maybe I will be able to earn their respect. I need to prove that I deserve this rank I hold, that the nepotism shown to me is not misplaced privilege.

Still, Father probably thinks that I am completely isolated here since everyone else is in Space. Kycilia sometimes comes to Earth, but her activities mostly remain in Space, and she doesn't go out of her way to visit when she does come to Earth. Understandable, as time is an important resource right now.

While I do not have my family here with me, I at least have some others who are easing the pain of our separation.

"I am not alone, Father. I have Dozle and Kycilia's soldiers looking after me, remember. They saved my life tonight."

He nods, but I can tell that he is unconvinced. He likes hearing of my accomplishments, like when I captured California and New York, but he loathes hearing of the hardships I face here, but admonishes me when I try to hide them from him.

"I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to you."

As much as I know he will, I do not want him to worry over me. I can take care of myself, and the times I cannot I have others who will, "I'm fine, Father. Don't worry. I just have felt a bit numb since the incident and don't know what I should do now."

I _do_ need to have a word with whoever was in charge of our base's perimeter defense though...I can't have Gaws I am supposed to be on exploding.

"You should be with your family at a moment like this, but unfortunately that is not possible..." my father pauses as he seems to see something on my face, "Oh, I did not even notice through this static, but you appear unwell, Garma."

I'm glad it wasn't something worse...I mean, how does he expect me to look a short while after an assassination attempt? I am not as stoic as Gihren or Kycilia, I can't just ignore the fact that I am coated in someone else's blood, "I almost just died, I think I have cause to look the way I do. Though I suppose I should change uniforms..."

My father had noticed the blood much earlier I suppose, since he doesn't bat an eyelash at my reasoning, "No, I mean that you look like you have not been eating or sleeping enough. Is something the matter?"

"I..."

I don't actually have an answer to that.

My father is a great man. Gihren is the most intelligent man alive. Dozle is an accomplished battlefield commander. Kycilia...well, I can't truly say I know of all her accomplishments since that would defeat the purpose of secretive missions, but I am positive she has done many things for our nation. But me? What have I done?

It has been months, but Earth is still not under our control. The Federation is catching up to us in technology with each passing day, and I am surrounded by commanding officers who only listen to what I say when I am in close proximity, only to go and do their own objectives and goals when I leave them. I have a world trying to spin propaganda about me like I am the devil incarnate, while common people take up arms against our forces who are trying to help them with aid and relief efforts. Each day I am informed of our increasing casualties and the rising difficulty we possess in taking territory. New reports come in about more civilian casualties of those caught in the crossfire between zealous Federation forces and our own zealots, of which there are a disturbing many. Each success may be attributed to me, but each failure also comes to rest at my head in some way.

On top of my professional life being a mess, I have the fact that I feel that in my absence I have finally lost the last vestiges of my family. Father doesn't usually call with one of the others anymore, while the only other one to try and keep in contact with me is Dozle. I haven't truly heard from Gihren in any personal manner in months, with Kycilia only rarely contacting me in any manner outside of our official duties. Dozle and Kycilia have a growing feud that I fear may escalate and hurt not only them, but our soldiers who are caught in the crossfire of those two refusing to work together. It is an open secret that Kycilia is seeking to also oppose Gihren one day, and as much as I wish it was not the case I cannot see the two of them reconciling before that becomes an actual bloodbath.

I still remember when we all would sit around our small dinner table in our similarly small apartment on Side Three, father watching baseball while Kycilia tried to keep us all from going hungry as Dozle and Sasro fought over food.

We were a family then, and even if we squabbled, it did not have the consequence or implications of a future civil war: it was just the common arguments that any family would have. I miss when Gihren and Kycilia were openly hostile to one another in a sort of playful way, rather than how they currently smile to one another while plotting the other's downfall.

The irony of being a Prince of such a powerful nation is that, as much as I want to have that normal life, to have that normal family again, it's the one thing I know I never can. Each day I am gone from the others, I can feel their tensions rising, but nothing I can say or do will make them change from their current paths. They are set to collide with one another, and I don't even know what I would do with the fallout. It almost feels as if they were only staying together for my sake, for I can say with certainty that I am the only member of our family other than Father who each of the others likes. As cold as Gihren can be, I still know that he cares in some part for me, and that is why I haven't given up on him yet even after all he has done.

Kycilia already is opposing him...I don't think I can be the one to take that burden. To be the one to break the already weakened bond between us all...as much as what Gihren has done this war has sickened me, I can only imagine how worse things might get if I took any actual measures against him like Kycilia. There would be no going back from that, and Zeon is already struggling to maintain its advantage against the Federation.

Maybe when this war is over we can confront Gihren about his methods...but until then, I have to suffer the knowledge that we have driven Humanity halfway to extinction and each day we get closer and closer to a point of no return. I cannot change the past, so I have to take the only solace I can in the hope that the future might somehow be the better place we hope it will be.

If I could though, I would rather be a normal twenty year old living a normal life. Not one with the shackles that come from the position I hold, privilege I have never asked for and power I never wanted or needed. I am not like Gihren or Kycilia in that I do not actually want to be the supreme dictator of the world one day, I just want to live a life as I see fit. I know it is selfish to wish for a normal life when I have duties to and expectations from our people, and I know I am fortunate for having been given all I have been, but we each have our desires, and mine is for the normalcy I once knew.

To everyone else though I am the smiling handsome, beloved Prince of Zeon who embodies our future and the righteousness of our cause. While maybe there is some truth in some of that, I wonder just how they would react if they knew this.

I cannot stay silent to my father's question forever, but I also do not want to let him know just how insecure I am about this, so I give him a piece of the truth without fully answering his query, "I don't know. Perhaps I have been from you all too long. Things are different here on Earth, and I don't just mean the thunder and snow. I don't know nearly any of the commanders I have been placed in charge of here on Earth, people who technically outrank me but who have to listen to me all the same."

"Do you wish for me to send Gihren to assist you?"

That would certainly deal with the problem of insubordinate commanders, but no, no it wouldn't fix this feeling I have inside of...well, I don't know what to call it. Forlorn despair? Depression? While some would disagree, I am a man like any other and thus am not immune to such things. After all, when even was the last time I spoke to Char, my closest friend?

But no, I can't have Gihren come here and do this all for me. Not only is he busy coordinating the war effort, but it would leave me in disgrace my entire life would not be able to overcome should he come down to Earth and conquer it when I am the one supposed to be doing just that.

"I do not think I could face our people if Gihren had to come do my job for me," to return to what he was saying though about my being unhealthy, I try to find a justification that will satiate him for the time being, "I just suppose that when surrounded by so many people I do not know, in a place I am only just now growing used to in a sense, it is a bit taxing on one's health."

In some ways, I wish I had someone to share this burden with. When I was at the academy I had Char with me the entire way as another student, an equal in station if not social status, but now I have no-one as an actual peer.

I must be poor at hiding it, or he must be quite adept at reading others, for Father gives me a sad look, "That is not all, is it?"

If I look him in the eye I fear I may lose the mask I have made for myself, so I look away from the camera and screen. This too is revealing, but not as much as meeting his gaze and showing him that things indeed are not alright.

"Garma, if there is anything I can do for you, you need only ask."

I am fortunate to have such a loving father...I owe to him everything I have, and I feel that nothing I could ever do would match up to either his accomplishments or repay him for all he has done for me.

Because of his words, I look back up to meet my father's eyes and give him a smile, weak as it may be, "Thank you, Father. I mean it."

"Of course, Garma. We all care for you, remember that. And remember that we are not the only ones who do. The people of Zeon love you...even some of the Federation, from what I understand," he smiles at me, as if he knows something I am not aware of. Perhaps he has been watching the news? I need to catch up on some of it...call it petty or not, but I do like seeing what others have to say about me. Particularly when it's a certain reporter who always gives me fair praise and even criticism when needed. But mostly praise, since Kinue seems to like how I do things in comparison to the other major figures in this war.

Still, a part of me wishes that for the sake of the common people that the support I have within the Federation perhaps would branch into their leadership so we could just end this fighting already, "Unfortunately it is the ones who don't care for me who are in charge of their military."

My father gives me a wry grin, "You did steal one of their bases a few years back I do remember..."

That reminds me, I was wondering about something that my father might be able to help somewhat with. While I search for the enigmatic Federation soldier "Galan Mossa", he is not the only inquiry I have into their organization. I had actually hoped to uncover some information about Ronan Marcenas, the Federation official I was to meet with tonight, before we met but had not heard back from those researching on my behalf yet. It seems that he has his connections all over the Federation, since his family's power dates back to the beginning of this Universal Century, where his ancestor served as prime minister and founded it.

Then said family member was assassinated, the Federation used it as cause to start repressing its new citizens of Space, and the rest is history. But not only was I looking for something to use against him personally, I was looking into an assassination that happened about a decade ago which I believe he may have had some role in. Since I hold a lot of gratitude for the service rendered by our Federation born reporter, I thought I would repay it by unveiling the people who had Mister Crossroad assassinated.

"Speaking of the Federation, I have started looking into some matters regarding them that I may need your help with. I have arranged for some of it to be observed by Kycilia and her soldiers, but I may have to ask for your aid too if it comes to it."

Taking priority over that discovery though is locating the man who disrupted the Antarctic Treaty. Not only would I have him punished for the attempted murder of Miss Crossroad, but the killing of Gaia, Mash, and Ortega along with other Zeon forces at the treaty. His freeing of Revil and the resulting chaos may have cost us the war by allowing the Federation to get a second wind. That event brought us to our current invasion where thousands upon thousands more will die, and all because of the actions of one man.

I will not let someone who accomplished such a feat to go free. He will be brought to justice, one way or another. Even Kycilia is willing to aid me in this matter, for she too knows the danger such a competent enemy can spell for us.

Father has more contacts than either of us, and he has been in the game longer, so perhaps if he looks into things he will be able to piece together something that Kycilia and I are not able to. We may find things out on our own, but I would rather Father aid us rather than not use his wisdom when it is available to us.

"Just send me whatever files, reports, or anything else you feel the need to, Garma."

"Thank you Father. I believe I should go now though, for there is a lot on my mind I need to think about."

He gives a nod and smile, "Of course. I will leave you to your work and mind. Remember though Garma, you are my son. If there is anything I can do for you, you need only ask."

I open my mouth to give another goodbye before turning off the computer, but something came to his mind and his smile widened as he explained his renewed interest in talking, "Oh, and Dozle was speaking of it earlier, but you do know that the female population of Zeon is in love with you? Why have I not heard of my youngest son having a lover of his own by now?"

Oh great. This again.

Father expects me to come home with a bride one day, and he is quite insistent that I also give him grandchildren like Dozle now is. And Gihren I suppose, but no-one is supposed to know about that.

It's not that I am resistant to the idea, but who would I even marry? It's not as if I just have possible wives sitting around waiting for me here on Earth. A good deal of the planet hates me after all, and I don't think I would get along well with those shallow enough to sell out their faction for flattery. I do have principles after all.

I am waiting for the "right" woman so to speak, and an old crush notwithstanding I have yet to come across said wife material. Not because I do not know any intelligent, competent women, no I have met plenty of those especially this past half year in my time serving Zeon, but rather I am not going to engage in any relationship where my status or position may either play a role in earning their affection, or any relationship where my pedigree and rank may cause unprofessional connotations such as undue favor.

After all, who would assign someone I was involved with to the frontline? It would be improper, and so I will refrain from causing such an unnecessary issue, even if it would be nice to return from the battlefield with someone waiting for me...

So basically I am going to have to wait for this all to be over before I find a wife, at least at this rate. Still, that does not mean I cannot have some fun with the idea.

"If the rumors were to be believed, then it would be because I love my dear friend Char or have a fascination with Kycilia," my Father rolls his eyes as he is reminded of just how low our enemy is willing to sink in terms of their morality, "But Federation slander aside, I don't feel comfortable with how others treat me based on what I am. I am nothing special, and yet some believe me to be a living god it would seem."

"Forgive me for having to ask, but have I told you how I came to meet your mother?"

Naliss Zabi, a woman who from what I have heard was beautiful, with all of Kycilia's positive traits and far less of the stoicism. She passed away when I was born, and no-one in my family tends to want to talk about it, but from what I have managed to gather the conditions on Side Three may have played a part in that. If Side Three's medical technology was not run down and ancient compared to what was the standard of the time, she would have lived.

Instead, I was born at the cost of her life. Learning that wasn't exactly something I enjoyed growing up, and while I know it was not my fault I cannot help but feel guilt stemming from how I took my father's wife and my siblings' mother away from them all.

"You do not usually speak of her, so I don't believe you have."

My father's eyes close, his mind obviously now focused on the memory of his deceased wife. I can see the signs of his age on his face as he then yawns and his eyes droop a little as he opens them. With his health concerns, he really ought to get more rest.

"We should talk about her sometime, then. She was the sort of person I think you would be looking for. A woman of substance who sought substance in others, and who loved me for what others would pass over in favor of my social trappings."

That does sound about right...but I am not even so sure of what I am looking for. Someone to support me? Someone to be there and tell me that everything is going to be okay? To laugh and enjoy myself with? To challenge myself?

My father continues speaking, now grinning after giving a small but amused breath, "After all, you certainly don't get your looks from me. One would have thought a woman as beautiful as her would marry someone richer than a laborer, but some people value things other than wealth," memories of Naliss must be playing before his eyes now, as beyond his glasses I can see Father reminiscing, "She also was a far better cook than I could ever hope to be."

Once he was done, Father shook his head wearily and then returned to smiling at me, his attention restored.

"It's just something to think about. One of many things I am sure is on your mind now after all that has happened today."

He is right, I do have a lot I want to consider. Who was it that tried killing me? What would have happened if I was killed unceremoniously? What would happen to Zeon? To my family? What of my friends? Would they bear the brunt of the punishment should something happen to me? It is their duty to protect me, but what if it had just been because of something like the Gaw being sabotaged? No amount of standing by my side could prevent that. What would Gihren do? What about Kycilia?

Dozle would be furious, I know that much, but there is so much to consider...so many ramifications relating to my own mortality...not to mention of course the fact that I am coated in someone else's blood. I killed a man in hand-to-hand combat, not at a distance like would happen when I ordered the _Loki_ to fire upon an enemy position. I had done it with my own hands, I had taken a life without any of the impersonal barriers that normally got in the way between me and those who...

I...

I don't want to kill the Federation soldiers. That is not why I am here. What I want is to serve and protect my people, but that means I have to take the lives of others...if I could I would not kill anyone, but I know that is not possible.

Still, to my father's point, yes one of the things on my mind is indeed my lack of a spouse. If I died, I would leave behind no heir. I would never know what it is like to love or kiss a woman. What it's like to return home from work and have your wife and children greet you. I may be young, but what better time to start a family than when you are young enough to devote your energy towards it? I know my father regrets having me when he was so old that he could not go out and do things with me like he wished he could. That he was stuck watching as I was outside playing, unable to keep up with me due to age finally beginning to catch up with him.

"Maybe when this war is over I can take the time to find someone you would approve of."

The conversation over, my father speaks in a soft and warm voice, "Take care, Garma."

"I know you must worry, Father, but take care of yourself as well."

The call ends, and I am left sitting in my office with all of those million and one questions and thoughts from before on my mind...

Come to think of it, maybe staying here in my office is not a good idea. If someone still _is_ looking to kill me here, I think staying away from where they would expect me would be smart...

So, with that in mind, I get up and begin what would come to be the longest walk I've taken in my life.

* * *

"Garma?"

Given the darkness out, I would say it's probably the middle of the night now instead of the late afternoon like when I left the base. I came back though, and now have come to a special housing section we put together for what civilians we had on base. This one in particular is kind of like a house, not too-too large, more like a glorified apartment actually, but still better than common rooms on the base.

I took some time to walk after what happened, and I have not really come to any answers for the questions haunting my mind. I don't know what to think, or what I should do, but when I stopped walking I found myself here, in front of this house. This house that I, in my restless state, had decided to knock on.

"Sorry if it's a bit late. I was having trouble sleeping, and I decided to go for a walk. Now I'm here."

My walk initially had taken me back to my room for a short while until I realized that I could not sleep at all. It is a certain feeling I get when I am going to suffer from insomnia for a night, and upon feeling it I decided to head back out rather than waste time pretending I could actually sleep. This isn't the first time I've stayed awake for a night, but it is the first that I haven't just gone to do more work or something else productive.

No, tonight I felt the need to just get away from this all and be alone, not hassled by guards or people reporting to me.

I hadn't really been expecting for a half-dressed, barely awake reporter to be greeting me at her door.

"Come on in," Kinue yawns as she opens the door more to let me in, "I'm sorry, I'm not really dressed or have things prepared for a guest."

She certainly isn't dressed for the occasion, being clad only in a dark blue t-shirt and black shorts. I don't think she was intending to have someone come and visit in the middle of the night, but then again I wasn't planning on this either. I just ended up here, and some part of me felt like being an imposing guest.

"I am the one intruding, so you have nothing to apologize for," I bow my head to help convey my apologies, but on the way down my eyes catch sight of something that makes me blush. Not only is my subordinate wearing a t-shirt that reveals a bit of cleavage, but I do not believe she is wearing a bra...in normal circumstances I would have greater willpower to tear my eyes away, but I am exhausted and also so out of it right now that I fear my eyes lingered a moment too long.

No, no, not fear, I know they did. That was inappropriate. A barely dressed woman may be letting me in to her home, but that does not mean I should fall into the weaknesses of a less refined man.

...but I must wonder, were they always that big? She must wear pretty concealing clothing at work...Kycilia does that too, I believe, since I remember my sister's chest being larger then than it is now. So does Kinue intentionally hide her attractiveness to some degree? The B or C cup I work with is now wearing a flattering t-shirt that instead reveals them to be D or DD sized...why couldn't I have ended up wandering to Emmerich or Amir's rooms? Even if they showed up completely naked to the door it wouldn't phase me, I went to a military academy, so I was forced to deal with occasionally naked men in locker rooms. But a half-naked woman? I don't even look at dirty magazines, so this is a bit out of my league...

I am not normally the sort to pay attention to such a thing of course, for that would be rude and improper, but I believe such an observation to be acceptable when something twice as large as you've come to expect meets you at the door. I have to say I am impressed that she would mask her physical attributes though, for the only reason I can imagine is for professional reasons...I can certainly imagine the sort of attention they might receive otherwise, much like the attention I am paying to them now.

But that is enough philosophy about milk producers, we are inside now and I am getting my first glimpse into what one of my...well, friends might be the word for it. So this is my first look into the home of a particular friend, though it is also my first glimpse into a female friend's home. I cannot say I have really ever had one of those: I supposed I was friendly with Zenna before she married Dozle, but she is family, and Cecilia and I have never really been close, even if she is the mother of my brother's alleged bastard children.

Seemingly oblivious to my discomfort, Kinue yawns again and stretches her arms out while we enter into the front of her apartment, the area revealing itself to be a living room of sorts, "Do you have any guards with you? Urabe, Amir, and Emmerich are all asleep right now I'd think...if they finished their new paperwork, that is."

The room is quite clean and organized, with sparing decoration and the only real seeming expenditure of money being the television and the shelf of videos by it. She lives quite the Spartan lifestyle it seems...maybe a result of growing up without money? I once knew what that was like, but I am nowhere near as frugal as I once was. The giant portrait of myself in the base speaks to that all too much...

But right, my guards. I don't know where they are, but I think they picked up the hint when I purposefully ditched them after expressing annoyance with them following me everywhere I went as a large posse. I'd have felt bad if it was Urabe or the others, but no, these were just normal soldiers who probably didn't know the first thing about tailing someone well or how to properly guard someone. This is why we train people specifically for the job, but it's so late at this point that said people are asleep and I am left with those random soldiers.

I shrug while Kinue shows me over to the couch across from her television, "The run-of-the-mill guards lost track of me I think. It's fine though. Who would come looking for me here? And if I lost guards whose job it is to follow me, then I dare say would-be assassins will be even more confused as to where I've gone."

Kinue gives me a wry grin while walking over towards a section of the apartment partly visible from the living room, with what I can see revealing it to be her kitchen, "Is there anything I can get you, like something to drink, or maybe some food?"

When I had gone to try and sleep, I had fortunately changed from my blood stained clothing into an alternate uniform, blue in its coloration rather than the usual green, but the event that caused said bloodshed was still on my mind and I was none too hungry as I remembered the hot liquid spilling onto me from the man who tried blowing me up, shooting me, stabbing me, and strangling me.

"I appreciate the offer, but no, I think I just need some time to think. I don't even know what I'm doing if I am to be honest..."

She does retrieve something from the kitchen though while I sit in silence in her near empty living room, tired at this point to the point where I cannot contemplate the major issues clouding my mind but still trying to all the same. When she returns, I see that she has come back with a pair of mugs by her ju...I am not going to finish that rhyme. I feel almost bad for the tabloids though, since in my current state I've lost some of my restraint and am finding that the woman I work with every day is _quite_ attractive.

I wonder, is this what others have to go through when they work with me? Not to be arrogant, but my handsome or beautiful features have received a good deal of scrutiny. I suppose it is just a bit odd to be on the giving end of said attention this time around, and I just pray my impropriety is not caught, for I am honestly ashamed of it and would hate for it to be observed.

Ahem, so she is holding two cups and is now extending one out to me to take, revealing it to have tea inside. I must be really out of it, because I am surprised she just made tea in what felt like seconds...telling myself that I am tired and not of my usual mind is helping me excuse my being a warm blooded male at least internally.

I accept the offer, and find that my throat welcomes the tea it swallows thanks to what I am guessing is dehydration on my part. I have been walking outside for hours aimlessly, so I guess I am a bit thirsty.

Kinue sits down on a chair that is nearby the couch and begins to drink her own tea as well, slowly sipping it like someone used to drinking it on a regular basis, "Since you're here, you're welcome to stay the night if you want. You can take my bed even, since I've slept on enough couches that it's almost what I'm more used to."

Every alarm is going off in my head right now about just how inappropriate such an arrangement would be...but I honestly feel a bit enticed by the offer. I can't sleep in my room, but maybe trying to sleep somewhere new would help my problem. I also have no idea what is and is not appropriate for friends of the opposite sex to do. Is it okay to sleep over at a female's house as a guy? What about as a guy who also is her employer? Well, Kycilia technically is I guess, but I'm the one who Kinue has to deal with most the time.

In any case, while the offer itself is tempting, the idea of sleeping in Kinue's bed while she would be relegated to the couch is unspeakable. As if I would ever force someone to give up their own bed for my sake.

Besides, this couch is actually kind of comfortable. And it's long enough for me to fit on it if I lay down.

"I wouldn't think of taking your own bed from you. But would staying the night not be inappropriate? You work for me, and it would breach certain codes I believe."

Kinue shrugging back with a grin tells me that she really doesn't care, "We're friends, right? I'm sure if you wound up by Emmerich's or Urabe's room they would let you stay, wouldn't they? It's late, so you really shouldn't be walking around anymore anyways."

I can feel myself blushing as I realized I have now lost this verbal game of chess: I basically have to admit that we are friends now, and I have no argument to the contrary of her claim that friends can do things like this. Furthermore her point is correct that it is quite late out, so I really should just stay inside...even though we're on base and all...

Okay, so what if I want to be convinced to partake in the closest thing to a sleepover I've ever had? I like the idea of trying to sleep somewhere different for a change.

"I suppose you're right," I admit to her, conceding the checkmate with some brief hesitation.

To be honest, I am curious what she thinks of me right now. Dazed and only awake not out of energy but an inability to sleep, I must be quite the poor sight right now. My hair is messed up and falling in front of my eyes when I don't remember to remove it,

But she's smiling and hasn't said a word implying that she minds any of this, even though I likely woke her up and am now keeping her up. Does she just not want to upset her boss? Is it because she really does think we're friends? She must think I'm weird though for this...it's not like I really meant for this to happen though. I just wanted to get some fresh air and think about things, and when I realized I wasn't walking anymore I was at her doorstep.

I can't let Emmerich or Urabe find out about this. They would never let me live it down, of that I am absolutely certain.

Instead of judging me as I worried she would, Kinue placed her tea down and gave me a sympathetic look as she looked over my face, no doubt noticing the same gaunt features and the bags under my eyes that my father had earlier, "You don't seem too phased by the prospect of being sleepless, and I've seen you be really tired some days. Near catatonic even."

"I..."

Maybe she really is my friend, if she cares about something like that. I trust Urabe and the others with my life, and they mean a great deal to me, but even I am not sure they would dare bring up something like this with me: they wouldn't imply that I have health problems stemming from an inability to sleep. They would see it as their job to stand stoic and support me, but not make personal judgments when they are not asked for. Because I'm their Prince...

I look down at my hand, a soft white glove covering it. I try to take it off, but I find that my hand is shaking too much to do so with only one hand. Placing my tea down, I try to take it off again, but I find that both my arms are suffering from this...what would it be? Anxiety?

I freeze though when I feel Kinue touch my arm. Looking up at her, I can see that she looks sad...is it pity? And if not, what then?

With her help, I manage to get my gloves off so I can look down at my hands. I had washed them completely clean earlier when I changed clothes, but I can still feel where the other man's blood had dried on them. Where I had to scrub my hand to remove the dry fluid from my body.

I may have killed him, but he wasn't the only one whose death I could be blamed for. Everyone lost in this Earth invasion...everyone I fought in that first month of the war...everyone whose lives were lost to Gihren's colony operations...perhaps I couldn't change it all, but here I am, a part of this war...

Part of me wants this feeling of guilt to go away, wants it to disappear so life is easier, so I am not woken by nightmares of innocent people screaming as they were murdered by poison gas, or as a colony crashed down on top of them.

I believe in our goal, but...

"When I think of everything that's happened, I can't sleep, and sometimes even when I'm asleep my mind does not let me forget the things I wished I could."

I feel her sit down beside me, and I don't fight as I feel her put an arm around me. She doesn't say anything at first, and I appreciate the silence as well as the gesture.

The only person who hugs me nowadays is Dozle...this whole time though I've had no-one to share my burden with. Dozle bears the same guilt I do, and he doesn't want to talk about it...Kycilia expects me to be strong, so I can't show her just how weak I am...and I am too afraid of letting Father down to show him this. And as good a friend as Char was to me, it wasn't the sort of friendship where we shared our feelings all that often...

Right now though, I don't feel like I'm being judged. Someone is just being nice to me and showing me the support I've been completely without now for years, and been craving for months. I really shouldn't let my guards and an aide lounge around in my office, but they're all I have...

"And then your Gaw caught fire."

The deadpan humor just as she touches my hair makes me laugh. Here I am, opening my heart, and she says something funny to try and cheer me up...

While I look over to her, I feel tears in my eyes even as I smile and mimic her method of speaking.

"And someone tried killing me, and so I killed a man today," I glance down at my blue military uniform that was made to my specifications, but was most definitely atypical much like Char's red one or Dozle's gold accented one with spikes, "His blood is on my uniform, and I had to wear this one in its place."

Kinue pokes at the suit while smiling at me warmly, her eyes sympathetic and kind, "Blue suits you, but blood doesn't."

I may just have to start wearing more blue then...I like it as a color, but I haven't paid it too much mind recently. I guess I associate it with Gihren, who wore a lot of it when we were growing up and who even now wears navy blue uniforms with really nice blue sashes...in fact, when I was younger I was more fond of the color, but now that I am older I suppose I've wanted to separate myself from my siblings. Show that I am my own person. My Gouf is red and green, colors I like together, but which I would never wear on my own person. Maybe a future mobile suit could have some blue though...

To her point though, perhaps she is right: I want to be the best soldier I can be for my people, but this profession doesn't come easily to me. I can fight to protect people without batting an eyelash, but when I am the one on the offense...when I am the one others are defending themselves from...that feels different. It feels wrong.

Even today, I was protecting myself, but a part of me wonders if I could have spared his life...at least for the time being. He would be convicted of trying to assassinate me and be executed, but it wouldn't have been by me driving a knife through his lung and heart.

I look down at my palms. This wasn't the first time I've taken a life, but until now I haven't seen their life drain from their eyes. I haven't felt like I killed someone who didn't have to die.

"Your job is about making me look like something I'm not. I am a killer, not a hero."

We fall into silence after that, as I have spoken my mind and finally told someone of the guilt I feel, while she seems to be thinking of just what to say back. After a moment she stands up and moves out of my sight as it remains focused down at my hands, but she is not gone for long. It turns out she was just re-positioning herself so she could lean into my back and put her arms around me.

Kinue...

"You do your best to help the people who rely on you. You look out for civilians even if they will and have waged guerilla warfare against you. You support people hurt by the war, people hurt by things out of your control."

I almost don't know what to do or say...I am used to shallow praise or none at all. I am used to being told that I am weak for my feelings, for being 'too soft'...

This was why I came here, wasn't it? I can feel that it's true...some part of me knew that if I came here, if I spoke to her I would have someone who would listen to me...someone who understood me and wouldn't get mad or mock me.

Having someone hold me...having someone tell me that I'm not the monster I think I am...I haven't felt this feeling since before Zeon Deikun died. This whole time I have been surrounded by others, but no-one has bothered to just be there for me. To support me, and not the ideal I am supposed to live up to. They all see Zeon's Prince, they see a Zabi...

Why does it take someone from the Federation to understand me?

Continuing on with what she was saying, Kinue has lowered her forehead down to be touching my head, giving an odd sense of intimacy and comfort as she spoke, "You're a good person, Garma. I just am showing others what I can see in you. The real you, who loses sleep over things other people ignore. That's the person, the you who that so many people love. We know you are a good person doing the best he can in the situation he finds himself, and that's what matters. You're not to blame for what Gihren's done, you're not to blame for the war. You want to do what you believe is right, and you protect everyone you can. You're a good person, Garma. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, not even yourself."

I don't know how even to respond. It's been so long...I haven't had someone comfort me like this since I was a child. Since Kycilia changed. Since the others buried themselves in work. I'm sure someone else would know how to react, know what to say to someone being so kind to them in this way, but all I can do is say the most basic of things back to her to my own chagrin.

"Thank you..."

She seems to understand, as she doesn't pressure me to say anything more, and we stay just like that for a few moments longer. Eventually the embrace comes to a close, and I realize that I had moved my hands to be touching her arms when said arms retreat from my body. The warmth I felt from her against me lingers a moment before disappearing and leaving me longing for more, but I see that Kinue has her mind on something else now.

I must say this about her, she is a woman of action, since instead of just consoling me she seems to have come up with a plan to try and make me feel a bit better. Why do I say this? She is perusing her movie collection now, and she has a grin on her face like she's determined to find something there.

"You know, sometimes when I can't sleep I sometimes watch something to tire myself out."

"Oh? What do you watch?"

I think I can see her blush out of embarrassment as she places her hands on her hips, "I've started collecting anime now that I have some disposable income. Finding old ones can be difficult, but they're often a lot better than the ones from now."

Now I see why she's embarrassed, and I find myself grinning as well, "The Japanese woman watches anime. I wish I could say I was surprised."

Kinue turns around to show me her eyes, which she squints and uses her fingers to make them look narrower in an obvious allusion to the typical Asian trait she actually lacks thanks to being half American, her eyes more typical of Caucasian ancestry than her Japanese side, "I have a few other stereotypes I could live up to if you want. I already have some experience as a Tiger Mom to Saji, but I think that's more of a Chinese thing from the middle-ages than a Japanese one."

The idea of Kinue playing the part of overbearing mother who pushes her children to their maximum potential makes me smirk, since I am sure she was as tough on her brother as she could manage, while the idea of her as a mother is amusing in its own right. With her dedication to her work, I wonder if she even would ever settle down. Perhaps, like Kycilia with me, Kinue raising Saji was it for child rearing and now everything was about work.

That would be kind of unfortunate though...the world could certainly do with a few more smart and stubborn journalists who can do their jobs. It's seemingly genetic, since she's just like her father from what I've heard.

Not clued in to my pondering, Kinue turns back to the movies and continues looking at the top parts of the large shelf, "Speaking of Saji, when I lived in Japan sometimes I would watch shows with my brother. Sometimes the news, sometimes anime, sometimes old movies we could actually afford..."

"You miss him, don't you?"

It may be a question, but I know the answer because I know the feeling myself. I miss my own siblings even though I get to talk to them every now and again...she rose her brother, and she hasn't gotten to see him in almost half a year. It must be killing her to not be able to talk to him or be with him.

Now it seems it is Kinue's turn to show her inner turmoil, as she pauses her search to look down at the floor, "I'm always worried about him when I'm not keeping myself busy. If my mind wanders, I think about if he's able to take classes with all of this going on, if he's in danger, if he is eating well..."

And to think, someone tried killing this woman...while I do not enjoy bloodshed, I might want to handle a certain execution on my own now. I don't know for certain how her brother would have felt, but if he is anything like me, I would have been devastated, furious to lose my sister. The man who would hunt a civilian like her deserves to be punished, for a good person nearly died. This world does not have an endless supply of them, and the thought of losing a good soul to one of the wicked ones incenses me.

A more calming thought though is that Kinue really is like my sister...she cares so much for Saji, and has sacrificed so much for his sake. Kycilia never finished school because she was looking after me...Kinue didn't either to care for Saji. Someone who would give so much for their family ranks among the highest in my respect, and even now after all this time she still cares for him...

"He's lucky to have a sister who cares about him."

My words betray my own feelings on my similar situation, bringing Kinue to shoot back a sad glance, "I know she can be rough, but does Kycilia treat you well?"

If barely speaking to me, almost never acknowledging me or my accomplishments, no longer caring to see how I am doing, and only contacting me now when she needs business done counts as treating me well, then yes, yes she is.

I love my sister, and I will always try to earn her love, but years of trying and not receiving the validation I'm looking for...I would be lying if deep down it hasn't hurt me. I want my sister to love me, but she doesn't seem to even want to try to keep our relationship as strong as it once was. I feel it dying every day, and I seek every opportunity I can, every excuse I can muster, just to talk to her...only for her to end these conversations at her earliest convenience.

Still, Kycilia is under a lot of pressure...maybe when this is all over she will return to being the kind, friendly person I knew when we were growing up, "I suppose. She doesn't spend time with me watching things, or come see how I am doing and talking to me...but she does care about me. I think my father and I are the only ones she might even care about these days."

To shift from the depressing topic, Kinue tries to cheer me up with a joke of sorts.

"Poor M'Quve."

M'Quve? I am lost. What?

"What about M'Quve?"

Kinue shrugs before placing her hands on her hips, drawing my attention to them, "I have sympathy for people who are friendzoned. It's unfortunate."

My eyes look over her mostly exposed legs and I can see that they are quite well toned...her exercises with Urabe have left her fit I suppose, and her already large hips and thighs are left quite stunning as a result. Right now is my first experience really seeing them, since usually she has clothes on, but right now I am left to suffer with this t-shirt and shorts combo that leave little to my imagination.

No. Bad Garma. Stop noticing how beautiful your coworker is and think about the conversation at hand. You are tired and not thinking straight.

Ahem...yes, M'Quve. I too pity M'Quve, who has long played the part of knight to Kycilia's lady, but she doesn't seem to have an interest in him beyond him being her little loyal servant. And to think, they once were close friends when I was younger...now they are servant and master. Another sign that my sister has changed, and I would have to admit I want the old Kycilia back.

"I grew up always thinking they would become a couple, but they never did. He was always like an uncle to me anyways, so it just felt natural with how much time they spent together."

Kinue has bent over to keep looking at the movies, but she seems to have given up if her facial expression means anything. I don't think she's found something she specifically wants to show me yet. Soon enough, she admits this, but I have to admit with her bending over I am barely capable of listening.

"Since you're my guest, what do you feel like watching? I've seen everything here, so nothing is really jumping out at me."

Looking at the selection of videos would be possible if only she wasn't there as well, for now my view is obscured by something the less cordial part of my brain is fascinated by. Is she even wearing anything under those tight shorts? From a certain angle, I can't say I think she is...

I really should have thought this through. I mean, I am sleep deprived at the moment and so thinking things through is quite difficult, but I suppose this is my punishment for waking up a female coworker in the middle of the night.

Come to think of it, you can't spell sassy without as—no! Now is not the time for puns. I must remain focused, and said focus needs to _not_ be on any of the womanly attributes that are now serving as the bane of my existence...

...

Okay, fine. She's beautiful, and I'm too tired to care about what it means that I am admitting that to myself. During the day I tell myself mantras about how she's an employee, but now I am being shown her full body and I have to admit that I do indeed work with someone I am physically attracted to. I mean, who wouldn't be? Perhaps she is not the model or idol sort of beauty, but she fits the "girl-next-door" archetype that is a mixture of cute with raw attractiveness. So while her face might not have the same exact draw as say Eschonbach's daughter, it instead holds its own special appeal.

Okay, that finally admitted to myself, I have to actually speak to her lest she look back and find me staring at her instead of the movies.

However, next time I wander, I'm going to Urabe's.

Hopefully.

Having a destination would kind of defeat the purpose of wandering.

Okay, so I should give her a basic response now before she gets suspicious, "Whatever you think is a good gateway to anime. I haven't viewed too much on my own, especially not recently, so I defer to your judgment."

Kinue is a beautiful woman...I suppose I am just now remembering that since it's so obvious when she is not wearing two shirts and loose pants.

It's too bad that she is my subordinate...if she was just someone from the village or a normal civilian I might feel tempted to ask her out to dinner.

With my suggestion as a guide, Kinue soon finds something for us. It's not long before I'm passed out on the couch, but for the first time in a long time I feel at ease as I drift off.

It's nice spending time with someone who cares about you for once.

* * *

"Good morning."

I am a little dazed as I come to, but it's not to the howling of my alarm clock...no, I woke up on my own and someone noticed me waking up.

Who is in my room? What do I pay my guards for...

I try to roll over in my bed, only to find that I am about to fall off a couch.

Oh...right.

My eyes crack open bit by bit until I look down and see that a blanket has materialized on top of me. I guess Kinue put it there after I fell asleep...

I move so that I am no longer falling off the couch and start to pull myself to sit up straight with some effort. I feel well rested, but I am still in the process of waking up. I wonder how long I slept?

"What time is it?"

Kinue walks by the living room to walk towards the kitchen, where she had been bringing some cooking utensil over to, "I probably should have said good afternoon. It's two."

Well there goes my hopes of today being a productive day...great.

So that we can continue talking I follow her into the kitchen, using a hand to brush my messy hair out of the way of my eyes. Loose strands are all over the place, and it's bugging me...I've been slowly growing my hair out here on Earth, but learning to deal with longer hair can be annoying. On my way I also pick up the tea glass from last night, which had been left on the living room's table. I wouldn't want to be a rude guest and leave dishes around.

To her credit, Kinue senses my apprehension about the time of day and reveals that she's already dealt with the issues that may have arisen from me being absent for so long, "Don't worry, I told everyone you were feeling under the weather. Your Gaw is grounded for the time being, so your whole schedule today is basically ruined. So you can do whatever you want on base until things are reorganized."

While my plans may be ruined, I still have things I need to do...I have to catch up on what I've missed out on this morning.

"I need to be working—"

An interesting variation of the Tiger Mom comes out as Kinue points to the table, narrows her eyes almost threateningly, and near forces me with her death glare to sit down there. Stereotypical Tiger Mom would prioritize work, but it seems Kinue wants me to not be starving anymore so I can work productively.

"When was the last time you ate an actual meal?"

...does the mess hall count?

Now smiling at my lack of response, Kinue goes back to preparing food as I take my seat silently, "That's what I thought. Sit. Eat breakfast. You need it."

I didn't expect to get a meal out of this...it's surprisingly generous of her. Well, surprising in that it's not expected for her to do it for me, but knowing my associate I really should have expected her specifically to do this for me. She's played the role of mother before, to enter her home and not leave with a full stomach would be a shock.

All I can do is go along with it, and so I graciously accept her kindness yet again, "Thank you."

"No problem. Go ahead and start, I've already eaten."

So before me are waffles, a pumpkin pie she made herself it seems, cantaloupe, french toast, rice, and various vegetables on the side of it all.

I don't think she knows what I like to eat yet, so she made everything she could...she didn't _have_ to be so considerate, but I must say I do appreciate it. I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday, over an entire day ago actually, and so I am absolutely starving.

"I don't get to cook all that often these days, and most my food is just whatever I can grab quickly as I work, so I appreciate the opportunity to keep my skills sharp," Kinue explains as I begin to eat. I have to say that she actually is a great cook...perhaps a slight bit out of practice as she implies, but her skill is superb all the same, and I would like to taste what her cooking is like when she isn't so rusty.

I nearly blush as I realize I want to wake up here more mornings...or early afternoons as it may be.

"You are a good cook if this is your rusty handiwork."

After saying this I come to realize that my dilemma last night has been fixed, and Kinue is fully dressed in her usual clothes. Does she only own the one outfit? In any case, she also has an apron on top of it, and it's actually kind of cute since it contrasts so much with her work clothes, but she doesn't mind at all as she is all smiles as she keeps working with food.

"Thank you."

After the pie doesn't exist anymore along with a good helping of whipped cream, I start to think of some of what we were speaking of last night...and something we've spoken of before. I've been trying to make it so we can communicate with Japan, but we don't hold that territory yet and so my ability to pull strings there is limited.

Still, I feel like Kinue should have the chance to talk to her brother just like I get to talk to my own family. She deserves that much and more.

"You know, I can see about making it so you can speak to your brother. I've been trying already, but I can see what I can do to make it happen sooner."

She seems surprised by this, if not a little flustered by the offer, "You don't have to go out of the way for me, Garma."

Not 'sir', but 'Garma'...I can't say I mind. It's actually kind of nice...

"You deserve the chance to be with your family, one way or another. It wouldn't be a problem."

With the last of her cooking done, Kinue brings it over to the table and sits across from me. She's smiling at me, and a warm feeling spreads across me as I see just how much this means to her. It's written across her face just how much the chance to learn about how her brother's doing means to her, "Thank you, Garma. I don't know what to say..."

I don't either, and so neither of us speaks as we eat the rest of the meal together in silence. It's fine though, since I just enjoy the company, and she seems pleased that I am a fan of her cooking and am wolfing down all food in sight to make up for not having touched it in so long. I probably was starving last night and just couldn't feel it with how off I was after I nearly died twice.

As we begin to finish the food, another thought comes to mind: I stayed the night at someone's house. A _woman's_ house. If I leave here now there will be so many rumors...

Again, Kinue reads my expression and she too looks a bit worried about it, "How are we going to explain this?"

Some further contemplation on the subject actually calms me down, and I just shrug it off.

"Explain to who? No-one is going to be waiting outside your house for me, so I just need to slip onto the main part of the base and I will be in the clear."

A little embarrassed for some reason, Kinue blushes and nods, "Oh, right. Of course."

"Given the...less than professional nature of sleeping over a subordinate's house, I would ask that you keep this between us. I would not want word to get out that I did something so...improper."

Now her face is red as the blood that got spilled on my usual uniform, "It's not like we...you know..."

Oh...right. That.

It's not like we're married, so of course nothing of that sort happened. But others don't have the same values I do...

"Oh of course not. But we both know that others will jump on the faintest trace of impropriety and make a big deal out of a simple evening where two friends spent time together."

The conversation awkward enough, we lapse into silence. She's probably still embarrassed about the last subject, as she's looking away while nibbling on a bagel.

I am done eating now, and so I use one arm to prop my head up on the table as I take a moment to just let my stomach settle. I didn't think that much food could fit in me, but I proved myself wrong it seems.

The sun is shining down on Kinue from outside and I'm left to think of just how beautiful she really is...not just in body, but in spirit. She is a good person, and I wish I had gotten over my uptight boundaries sooner so I could have gotten to know her sooner. Maybe then the weight of this burden would have been lighter to bear all this time, for I already feel like weight has been taken off my shoulders just by having spent the one night together talking.

"Thank you, Kinue. This...it means a lot."

She finally looks back up, still blushing now but looking less embarrassed this time around.

"Of course Garma. You can come over anytime you want, okay?"

Waking up without an alarm screeching, having a home-cooked meal with someone else, no servants or guards to bother you, just family...

Father, was this what you were trying to tell me before? Was this what it was like with Mother all those years you were together?

I can't say I'm in love...I don't know that feeling well enough yet to even describe it, at least in the romantic sense. But now I am convinced that I am at least infatuated with my dear reporter, and the thought of waking up like this, of spending my days with someone who cares for me and sees who I am...

I should talk to Dozle sometime. He knows more about all of this...

In the meantime though, I'm content with having a friend. A kind, beautiful, intelligent friend who happens to work for me.

The next time I visit though, I'm coming at a time she's going to be wearing clothes.

* * *

 _ **A/N: That was a monster to write. I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below! There's quite a lot there after all to discuss.**_


	22. Missed it by That Much

To say that standing in front of a door for a room with no-one inside of it and would continue to have no-one inside of it for the foreseeable future was a boring task would be to understate the issue. While standing silently in front of a door was a boring task on its own, guarding a room where you knew no-one was made things seem far worse.

It was in this manner that Emmerich and Amir were both horribly bored out of their mind as they waited for Garma to show up finally, having been guarding his office to make it appear like he was not in fact missing and to prevent a panic. They had been assured he was fine after he had been considerably late, and so now they just needed to pretend like everything was normal.

Each of them were nursing minor wounds from the assassination attempt the night before, but after the temporary guards assigned to Garma managed to lose track of him the base was not about to let their professional guards skip duty over scrapes and bruises they could still function with.

Emmerich was busy trying to come up with theories as to what Garma may be doing in his time away from everyone's watchful eyes, perhaps some James Bond stuff again, while Amir was mourning the deaths of the men they killed the night before. After all, since they were dead they weren't able to be interrogated. Such a waste.

"Hey guys. How's it going?"

Amir snapped out of visions of what he wanted to do to the bastards who just tried assassinating Garma and Emmerich snapped out of imagining spy movie action scenes starring Garma to see that Kinue was walking by when she stopped to say hello. Emmerich blinked as he noticed something odd about her.

Clothes? Same. Carrying papers related to work? Normal. Hair? The exact same hairstyle she always had.

No, she was _really_ happy about something. As in, Emmerich hadn't seen her happier since they met, and he was actually taken aback by coming to this realization. After all, he didn't expect her to be the happiest camper on the planet: someone tried killing her and then she had to work for the nation invading her own without any real choice, her brother was possibly in danger and she couldn't do anything to protect him, and while some people liked her for being moderate in a time of extremists, said extremists were _very_ vocal in their hatred for her.

So she smiled often enough, but now it looked _genuine_ and Emmerich was actually happy to see his friend like this, even if he had no idea why she was brimming with positive energy.

To hide his shock at her bright demeanor Emmerich turned his attention to the side, eyeballing the door and his partner, who seemed to be similarly noticing Kinue's change in demeanor, "Well, the door is looking awfully nice today, wouldn't you say Amir?"

Amir rolled his eyes and went back to being bored out of his mind, since Garma _still_ wasn't there. Kinue on the other hand appreciated the small joke and laughed along with it, still carrying herself in a lively manner as she spoke in the same contented and happy tone she had used to inform them earlier over the phone that Garma was fine. Emmerich had thought she was just glad Garma was okay when they were on the phone, but now he was beginning to have doubts that that was all.

"I'm going to go to my office, so if you guys need me for anything just let me know."

Emmerich saluted her and fostered a large grin as he became infected by the energy she held, "Will do, Kinue. Have fun making the people love us!"

Amir flatly responded a joke of his own, though it might have gone by the heads of the other two, "Some members of the Federation already love Garma."

"People sure do," Kinue let out a content sigh as she departed, "Have fun with the door."

"We will!" Emmerich called after her, waving goodbye as he was left to once again stand bored in front of an empty room. Amir wasn't chatty most of the time, and talking casually in sight of others was inappropriate for their line of duty, so they saved all the would-be chatter for when Garma let them inside his office usually.

This time though Emmerich still had something on his mind, and _no-one_ was around, so he engaged in the sort of idle chit-chat Amir normally shied away from.

"She seems happy today."

"Compared to all the times she is depressed," came the deadpan response, Amir mocking the simple observation given. Yes, sometimes people looked happy. What a groundbreaking discovery.

Emmerich balked at his friend's seeming indifference to the difference in their Federation born ally, "You know what I mean! Comparatively!"

Amir revealed another reason for his seeming lack of care, one based in something he had contemplated earlier, "I'm not surprised. Lord Garma was missing last night."

"So? Those guys who followed him said he was just going out for a walk."

"Where do you think he stayed the night?"

Where he...

Emmerich's eyes bugged out and he gawked at what Amir was suggesting. After a brief display of his surprise, shook his head and dismissed the silly idea.

"Nawwww, can't be. Lord Garma's too prim and proper for something like that."

While he knew Kinue had feelings for their superior officer, and Amir believed the same, neither knew much of their commander's opinion back towards her except that he seemed comfortable around her just like he seemed to enjoy their company. That Amir would suggest that Garma would suddenly take things to _that_ level and engage in a wholly unprofessional relationship was shocking to Emmerich. Garma wasn't the sort to do that, he thought.

No, Garma was an old-fashioned prude, and since Kinue wasn't wearing a ring on her finger Emmerich was quite sure she hadn't been seduced by their boss the night before. Though if somehow he _had_ accomplished such a feat perhaps in a couple weeks the Zabis would be announcing a sudden marriage and it would just so happen that Kinue was pregnant, and then they could name their newest child after their extremely devoted and loyal guards, and everyone would live happily ever after.

Or so Emmerich hastily thought as a justification as to why Amir's idea was ridiculous while also contemplating the ramifications if his friend was correct. For his part, Amir shrugged and continued to look ahead with the same bored expression he had been holding for hours.

"He was missing, she's glowing like a ray of sunshine. You do the math."

"It seems you already have," Emmerich chuckled as he realized they really were on the same page of the issue that, while technically minor, actually had possible political implications, "When did you notice?"

"Miss Crossroad obviously has feelings for Lord Garma, and he could certainly do worse."

Amir, who had noticed that Garma seemed attracted to Eschonbach's daughter, felt like they had dodged a bullet there even if she hadn't. While furious that a man had killed his own daughter, a dark thought had crept into Amir's mind that perhaps it was for the best. He was no engineer or rocket scientist himself, but he had not sensed any real intelligence from Eschonbach's daughter in his brief time around her. The idea of having an idiot innocently corrupt the gene pool of the Zabi family sat wrong with Amir, since he wouldn't want to be mad at her but also didn't want future members of their ruling elite to be dimwits.

On the other side, rumor had it that Kinue had uncovered that certain members of Zeon's Mobile Suit development teams were leaking information to the Federation to aid them in their own research after having combed through documents seized from Eschonbach's personal files. Not because finding that out was her job to do, but that while she was investigating it certain details caught her eye and now back at Side Three some people were having very unpleasant conversations about their actions.

So he had his preference, even if it came about in a darker manner than he would have hoped it to.

Emmerich on the other hand was just glad that it seemed that their friend and boss were making some progress. He only figured out the one-sided devotion of Kinue just recently, but he was all on board to support her...so long as Garma didn't mind.

"I'd say...so, should we play cupid?"

"They'll do what they want to do. I won't stop you though."

That sounded like as close to permission as he would get, so Emmerich grinned as he put his arms up behind his head, "Hehe, I've got some ideas. Too obvious and they'll catch on, but I have the perfect plan."

"I doubt that."

The blunt dismissal took the wind out of Emmerich even though he ought to have expected such a thing from Amir, "Oh come on, meddling in our bosses' personal life is part of what we're supposed to do, right? We can trust Kinue, and she's already a part of our little inner circle, so who better? It might be for our own good as his immediate staff that this works out."

Amir crossed his arms as he too took a more relaxed position, leaning against the door, "I am not disagreeing. I just don't think that you can be subtle enough."

Emmerich brought a hand over his heart and pretended to be doing some vow, "I solemnly swear that I shall not ruin anything and will in fact make everything better. You watch."

"If you say so."

A few more minutes passed by before another thought crossed Emmerich's mind and he turned to his partner out of curiosity.

"Hey, think they'll name their kids after us?"

Amir balked at the audacious statement, "Emmerich, they aren't even dating yet."

"I'm just saying I think it'd be cool!"

"I doubt Lord Garma or Kinue would name a child after a hamster like your father did."

"Are you calling me a hamster?"

"I know what I said."

Silence returned after Emmerich made a face at Amir for his comment, though it was not too long before Emmerich had yet another inquiry for his partner.

"So, if _you_ were trying to get them to get together what would you do?"

Completely deadpan, Amir spoke as if he actually had the plan in the chamber and ready to fire, "Garma drinks socially at major high-society events. Have the event take a long time so he is sufficiently drunk, perhaps guiding him more towards where the drinks are served. Then, have Kinue drink as well alongside Garma since she might break her usual no-drinking rule for him. Leave the two of them together."

"You think they'd confess if they're drunk?" Emmerich grinned, actually liking the idea a little since it could result in quite the humorous scenario.

"I said nothing about confessions."

A couple blinks later Emmerich formed an o with his mouth and realized that Amir was _not_ talking about anything fluffy or nice, but rather adult and obscene.

"Oh. Ohhhhhhhhh. I get it. Vertical mambo time," Emmerich flipped his nose up as he took umbrage to the suggestion, "But that's just hooking up. Lord Garma's a proper man, remember. Traditional and the like."

Amir smirked at his partner's expression, "In this hypothetical situation I would be counting on it."

That perked Hamtaro's ears up, "Counting on it?"

"Should certain events occur, he would propose out of a sense of obligation. Mission success," Amir explained with a nod.

So...get them drunk, have them hook up, and then have the socially outdated Garma propose to Kinue thanks to being cut from the cloth of ancient society where when a man deflowered a woman he ought to marry her.

Moral implications aside, it could certainly work, but Emmerich refused to stoop to such actions, and to Amir's credit so would he. It was just a hypothetical way of making things work out, since his own method was to allow things to take the course they would.

"That is certainly crafty, but my plan won't require such dastardly manipulation."

Amir retained his grin, "I am still worried."

"Come on, trust me!"

Despite Amir's doubts Emmerich actually did possess a plan, but he wasn't about to clue his partner in on it since Amir was unsubtle and might reveal a piece of it even if he didn't intend to. Best to keep it close to the chest, or so Emmerich thought.

Trivial as it might seem, the future paramour of a Zabi was no small thing to the people of Zeon. Of Degwin's children, only Dozle had sired an heir, with Gihren only having an alleged mistress or series of mistresses while Kycilia had even less known concerning her love life. Garma on the other hand was only twenty and just out of school when the war broke out, so he was perhaps too young for marriage, but youth was a resource which diminished quickly and it would soon be time for him to do his part for his family and contribute towards its continuation unlike the others. And unlike the others, Garma seemed dedicated to the ideals of his family, as compared to Gihren and Kycilia speaking of the ideals while peddling their own goals and purposes behind them.

If Garma was Zeon's future, _his_ future was vital, and a large part of that would be whoever he decided to share his bed with. While Zenna was not particularly active, that was less important due to Dozle being the least politically active and having the smallest public profile of the siblings. He was loved by his men and his soldiers would die for him, but no-one, not even Dozle himself, gave him any consideration at the political and social table because those were not his arenas. Garma and Gihren were the only siblings involved in the three major spheres of life on Side Three: military, politics, and everyday society thanks to their military positions, Gihren's control over politics and Garma's part in inspiring their ideals in others, and finally Gihren's propaganda fueled followers and Garma's immense popularity amongst his population. While Kycilia had little social profile, she did aid Gihren in political matters.

Gihren was only two decades younger than Degwin himself and had no known heirs, so it would appear to their society that one of his siblings would be the one to carry on their legacy upon his passing or abdication of power like what Degwin was passively doing by letting Gihren take his power. And if Kycilia wasn't going to step out of the shadows and Dozle wasn't going to do anything but command troops, that left Garma to pick up the mantle.

So, youngest child or not, Garma was _very_ important to Zeon, and the one who would contribute half of the DNA and parenting of his offspring would perhaps have their mark on history as well should he marry.

* * *

"Lord Garma, we were worried!"

It took until late in the afternoon, but eventually someone came by Garma's office and to the guards' surprise it was Garma himself. While Emmerich had expected his superior to walk in looking bedraggled thanks to a restless night born of an assassination attempt on his life, Garma instead smelled of lavender and had a relaxed expression on his rested face. While he had been slowly getting used to the anxiety of his position, it had still been eating at him and his health was on a steady decline.

Now, he seemed to be a man who had taken his medicine and was recovering fully from the sickness that had been killing him day by day.

Garma grinned at them as he and Urabe finished their approach to the office's door. The guard had come by to find Garma while his two subordinates kept up appearances at Garma's office, resulting in Urabe having a bit of information that the other two were not privy to concerning Garma's night that had the tall man grinning.

"Thank you for your concern, but I needed some time to myself. I am sure you understand."

Emmerich bowed from the instinctive salute he had assumed when he saw Garma, "Yes, of course sir. Just...let us know next time?"

Knowing how others might see the time he spent over at a woman's house, Garma would rather not inform others of his whereabouts at all times, "I will try, but no promises."

Now that Garma was actually there, they all went inside his office and went about business as usual, except with the difference that their day's plan had been ruined by the previous day's meeting never happening and the resulting time set aside to deal with issues related to it no longer having meaning. To this thought, Garma eventually spoke and revealed something he had been contemplating ever since his late afternoon breakfast with Kinue.

Seemingly unable to meet their eyes, Garma did some random paperwork on his desk as he spoke to his guards, "I don't know what your schedules are tonight now that ours was ruined, but I was thinking of having you with me for dinner. We have been together for quite some time, but we haven't really gotten to know one another, so I think this would be a good opportunity to rectify that."

To dine with a Zabi? Their Prince who embodied the best of Zeon with his fighting spirit for change? The casual offer shocked Amir in the brief time it took for Emmerich to snap another salute.

"It would be an honor, sir!"

Urabe cocked a grin at his partner who was so enthusiastically accepting the offer, "Thank you for the invitation. It would, as Emmerich has said, be an honor, sir."

Amir was not about to appear to be the only one not in agreement to the idea, so he offered a bow, "Thank you sir."

To hear that none of their voices sounded like they were doing it only out of a sense of obligation relieved Garma. His finger clicked his pen shut and he played with it with one hand while he finally found the courage to look up, "Very well then. Seven would be the ideal time, I believe."

Seven would give them a few hours, and also time for Garma's stomach to gain some room from when he gorged himself on what had been provided to him earlier. Kinue actually was quite the cook, which he supposed made sense since she was the one who had to do all the cooking for herself and her brother for so many years, so Garma had actually filled himself more than he would have normally thanks to the near gourmet level food offered. He certainly wouldn't mind going back to eat with her again, particularly since she made what one could consider 'normal' food rather than the rations provided by the military or the high society, extremely complicated dishes he sometimes had to endure.

It reminded him of Kycilia's cooking, back when she actually did any cooking, and so perhaps some nostalgia played a part to his enjoyment, but the taste was there itself.

If she had not already gone out of her way to provide so much for him that day, a selfish part of Garma's mind would have asked Kinue to cook the meal for him and his guards that night, but he did not want to impose too much on her and also wouldn't want to offend his actual chefs by having his media coordinator take over for them...even if he would probably enjoy it more. They always tried to impress him so much when he sat down for a major meal rather than a quick or regular one as he often did, cooking every complex dish they learned on Earth to try and do right by their leader. Garma didn't have the heart to tell them that he actually didn't like horribly complex meals and would actually be fine just eating plain rice or noodles over something that had to be eaten in a specialized manner using multiple utensils.

He just hoped that whatever ended up being the menu for the night would be alright for his guests.

"We'll be there, wherever 'there' happens to be," Urabe said to reaffirm their collective decision to join Garma for dinner.

Talk of dinner died down shortly thereafter since none of the guards knew how to really keep talking about it other than to thank Garma for his generosity and Garma himself was embarrassed that he was asking his guards to dinner since he had no other friends. Well, not _many_ other friends, since the list was really stuck at a total of about five with the three present, Char, and Kinue.

At least it was a sizable improvement over his previous total of one true friend. Sure, some others treated him nicely at the academy, but Garma did not doubt for a moment that their praise and kindness would have been jealousy and rivalry had he another name but Zabi.

It was another twenty minutes or so before Garma came across a file on his desk related to his hunt for a certain individual, and after some brief time of contemplation and turmoil over whether he should mention it at all, Garma decided that if his men were people he wanted to have dinner with, he could trust them with this matter, particularly since they might be able to aid with it.

With a sigh, Garma massaged his temple as he contemplated the headache of an issue he was facing tracking this one man, "Since I have time I did not expect to have, there is something I would like to ask you all about. I did some thinking on it last night after the attack, and I am honestly impressed by some members of the Federation and what they have managed to accomplish in certain points in the war."

"Taking a liking to the enemy, sir?" Emmerich quipped playfully.

Garma straightened his collar absently, "No, I just know where respect is due. It really came to my mind first after the Antarctic Treaty, when they managed to free Revil, kill Gaia's team, nearly assassinate Miss Crossroad, steal a mobile suit from us, and then use it to wipe out many of our forces stationed there. If I asked any of you to pull off that, or even all of you, do you think you could do it without leaving a trace?"

That question stung Emmerich and Amir, who had been defeated by that Federation soldier when he stole the Zaku from Gaia's team and who had not entirely gotten over the humiliating display. Each of them wanted in their own way to get even with that man, particularly now that it was known and was likely that he was the one to have nearly killed someone they considered a friend. While they mourned the deaths of the Black Tri Stars solely as comrades in arms and nothing more, other Zeon forces had lost their lives too that day and Kinue had nearly died as well, so there was not a shred of love in either Emmerich or Amir's hearts for the man who caused so much destruction in one day as well as the conflict which followed with how the war continued past what was supposed to be its end.

Taking an honest look at their skills, Urabe had to admit that as talented as his men could be in their own ways, there was no way they could accomplish what that one man had given that he had outperformed both of them at the same time, though not without some luck on his side, "We might be able to accomplish the individual tasks of freeing someone, assassinating someone, fighting some injured guards, stealing their mobile suit, and then battle in what we stole, but I am not quite sure who could manage to actually do so without a trace or do so all together at once."

Garma handed the file on his desk over to his men, who took it and were shown some of the details gathered and known from the Antarctic Treaty's conflict. Once they had it, Garma tapped his head towards the back softly, "Given the beating Kinue received in addition to being shot, she has had trouble recounting just exactly what happened to her, or else this mystery would be solved easily. But the case grows more interesting when one considers that she was shot in the part of the base assigned to Zeon. They had to have known where our guards were, while obviously knowing the layout of their own base."

Amir narrowed his eyes as he considered the possibility that there was a traitor within their own ranks to allow for such a thing, "Do you think someone was feeding them information, sir?"

That was a conclusion Garma had come to as well, since it would explain a whole lot and was not entirely out of question given how well the enemy was able to pull off their operation, "That is very possible, because I believe she also happened to be shot with a pistol manufactured in Zeon, meaning they had access to our technology and likely were aiming to frame us for their crime," Garma waved a hand in an irritated fashion as he pulled out a security footage tape he had obtained from the facility only to drop it back into its drawer, "The security cameras gave us no information, with most being wiped before we could seize access to them at the time or being a part of the Federation's side of the base and thus out of our access."

Either Zeon's forces were _extremely_ incompetent, which he didn't want to believe, or the Federation managed to pull one over on them by using some underhanded means...but no matter which it was, it made his job all the harder at locating them. That was why he needed Kycilia's aid, since he had finally given up on trying to figure things out with the resources at his own fingertips. Or, at least, those he had been willing to use.

"Whoever beat you two in that stolen Zaku is skilled, and we can't underestimate them. They escaped, so they very well could show up again."

That was the important thing to keep in mind. If they were handily defeated and humiliated once, it could happen again if they let their guard down. They had a heavy retinue of forces at the Antarctic Treaty and still came out looking like fools, and for the prideful Garma it was both a lesson learned and a bloodied nose on that pride.

Urabe stroked his bare chin as he contemplated the matter, "I am worried about who may be behind them. If there is no trace from what we could find, then that means someone has to be helping them hide. That means they have connections to someone with the power to do that, which would imply that there was a greater reason for their actions."

"I have thought about that as well, but unfortunately the nature of the Antarctic Treaty was such that many of the world's most powerful people were all gathered in one place. Even if it _was_ someone present, there are too many to truly know who could have been behind this soldier," Garma shook his head and sighed at how there was no seeming end to the amount of complicating factors in the mystery, "And that is not to mention all the powers that may be which may have wished to have the conflict continue by disrupting the peace meeting."

Emmerich frowned, displeased by the thought that perhaps someone was pulling all these strings to propagate the war, "Who would benefit though from more people dying? The Federation was losing bad..."

One person at the Antarctic Treaty had rubbed Amir the wrong way especially, but he was struggling to recall his name given their short conversation, "I think I heard that man...Garvey was it? Garvey said something I believe could be seen as threatening, though I am sorry I do not remember the details."

Garma recognized the name as one he remembered hearing about at family discussions about politics, "Kycilia hates him. Unfortunately, we are indebted to him. His funds are part of why we were able to fund the invasion here on Earth," Garma sneered as he thought of his own run-in with the man and who he had with him, a seemingly friendly fellow who Garma was able to tell was as fake as any of the others who regularly tried to pretend to be nice to him, "I wasn't a fan of him and his guard. Mahdi obviously has contempt for those outside his group, while that redhead bodyguard of his was pretty smarmy. He sounded suave, but it was superficial."

"I don't remember Kirks having red hair," Urabe commented, having had his disagreements with the other soldier and remembering Mahdi Garvey's guard quite well.

Seeing that Urabe hadn't run into both of the men who were with Garvey, Garma shook his head, "Not Yonem, someone by the name of Biaggi. Yonem isn't as bad I think, though I do not have too much experience with him admittedly. Kirks was busy looking after Mahdi's daughter like a glorified babysitter."

Amir snorted, "I guess we didn't run into his other guard then. That's a shame, it might have made talking to his jackass of a boss easier."

Clearing his throat, Garma had to agree that Mahdi was quite...unpleasant but also was not about to verbally label him such a thing since to be so confrontational was not in his repertoire of behaviors, "Back to the subject though, I have been trying to investigate it all, but I haven't had much success at all. In fact, the more I look into it the more information seems to slip through my grasp. If I am right that there was someone behind the disruption at the Antarctic Treaty, then we may have a serious conspiracy that needs to be uncovered."

Emmerich winked and gave him a thumbs up, "I think I know just the person for the job then."

Given how obvious it was, Amir and Urabe both seemed to agree with Emmerich and gave Garma knowing looks, who responded with a wave of the hand and shake of the head.

"I am not involving Kinue in this. If they tried killing her once, how do you think they would respond to her looking into them? That is why I have been doing this in secret for the past few months. If Kinue knew, she wouldn't back down from looking into it. She can be relentless, and I won't have her painting another target on herself against the people who sought to kill her in the first place. I do appreciate her interminable attitude, but not here."

Emmerich smirked at Garma's praise of their shared friend, "A noble quality in her line of work, surely."

"Correct, but it is also a lethal one. First her father, and now her. I am sure if I use her for this I will find out what I need, but part of my interest is to protect us all from further attacks by these unknown enemies of ours within the Federation's ranks, who would manipulate events to make the war continue onward even if it would mean the Federation's defeat on Earth. If I sacrifice one of the people I am seeking to protect, what would be the point?" Garma explained, revealing perhaps a less professional side to his ambition to find this culprit.

So long as they were at large and free to act as they would, they posed a threat to even the upper echelons of Zeon's ranks...as well as those around those within those ranks. Garma might be afraid that not only he was in danger, but so were others he cared for.

Emmerich noticed something about Garma's willingness to involve certain people in a life and death matter but not others, and he took joking offense to it, "But you don't mind involving us."

"Your job description is to die for me. Hers is to report the news, hopefully in a way Kycilia and Gihren won't kill her for. There is quite the difference," Garma deadpanned.

"Whatever you say, sir," Emmerich chuckled as he instead came to a different conclusion as to maybe why Garma would want to protect Kinue.

"So..." Garma lowered his head and sighed, drawing a blank of what to say next, "I don't even really know where I am going with this line of thought. The Federation has skilled members in their army it would appear, there is what I believe to be a conspiracy of sorts behind the issue, and I am looking into it all but coming up with very little. If you all find something, please let me know."

"I wouldn't worry about these two withholding information," Urabe commented about his subordinates before turning to look at each of them from where they all stood by Garma's desk, "You two have a score to settle with that guy in the Federation, don't you?"

Amir clenched one fist at the thought of their defeat, "Next time I see that man in the Zaku he won't get away."

Garma noticed that even Emmerich seemed riled up at the defeat they were handed months ago, so he came to grin at how they both seemed quite on board with this search, "Determined. That's good. That anger will serve you well in helping look for them I think, so stay indignant at their actions."

The soldiers seemed to appreciate the light praise, though something out of the corner of Garma's eye kept him from continuing the conversation further: the time.

"However, I am supposed to take a call from M'Quve soon, so if you all wouldn't mind waiting outside for the rest of your shifts, that would be most appreciated. You can even leave a bit early to get ready for dinner, since you don't have to wear your uniforms if you do not want to."

All three guards saluted at once, with Emmerich once again being the most vocal, "Yes sir! See you at dinner, Lord Garma, and thanks for the invitation."

"Of course. I think it's about time I got to know the people who I am trusting my life with better."

* * *

"Hey Garma."

Garma looked up from his desk and saw that someone had opened it and stepped inside, not having had to talk to the guards outside first since said guards had left to get ready for dinner. Fortunately it wasn't some assassin, but rather a civilian reporter who spent most her days in the office despite having one of her own.

Seeing Kinue come in and put down some documents for him to go over had Garma smiling even before he knew it, still extremely grateful for the night before where she consoled him, "Oh, Miss Crossroad. I will be dining with my guard tonight, so you can go and take the rest of the day off if you want."

It was only fair that he try to repay her in some manner, since he knew that if he didn't tell her otherwise she would likely work right until she felt it was time to go to bed.

Kinue shrugged as she took some papers for her own perusal and sat down on a chair facing Garma but was across the room. She winked at him playfully as she thought about the work ahead of her dealing with how to handle the near assassination of Garma from a media perspective, "Thank you sir, but I don't mind staying. Someone should be productive tonight."

Garma turned his head to the side and crossed his arms, slightly offended by the joke about his choice of evening endeavor, "I see dining with my men as a valuable investment, both professionally and personally."

Not having meant to upset him, Kinue cracked a large smile and offered some words of support for what he was doing, "I'm sure they'll appreciate it sir."

The fact that Kinue so regularly stayed after hours to do her job and to pry open secrets that were useful for them both impressed and depressed Garma, who felt that there was a difference between a work ethic and a workaholic. While he did not know of how long she worked each day prior to her joining Zeon, he didn't want her to have to feel like she needed to work far beyond what was expected of her.

Perhaps, he reasoned, it had something to do with her change in faction? Having lost just about everything she knew must have left her with little _but_ her job, and she was certainly quite dedicated to it to begin with. Garma had known of her for years now given her early start into her job and the occasional screentime she got to reveal things she found out thanks to having a boss who knew and respected her late father, but seeing her work in real life almost made him uncomfortable: not only did it make him feel lazy by comparison even with his own long hours, but it also made him feel like she had no time for whatever social life she possessed, and that was not something he wanted to deprive her of.

"Come to think of it, you're always working late. I don't like to pry, but I almost feel as if I owe your boyfriend an apology for always keeping you so late," Garma apologized to his employee, speaking on the assumption that someone in their early to mid twenties who was now famous would obviously be dating someone, and that whatever relationship they had must be suffering as a result of her time spent towards her job.

Of course, this was all because he was oblivious to the fact that Kinue wanted _him_ to be her significant other, much as Garma was oblivious to some other social cues people with more life experience talking to peers might have.

Kinue blushed at Garma's assumption, well aware of the irony at hand, "Well no apology necessary sir. Never been on a date in my life. Been too busy working to pay the bills until now, so I..."

Garma blushed back as he realized his decently reasonable assumption that someone like her would have a lover of some sort was in fact wrong. While some of him was apologetic, the rest of him was actually confused. Even he, a well-trained son of the Zabi family, had been left captivated by her beauty, so how could someone with brains and beauty both slip under the radar for so many other men? He supposed her being busy was a good enough reason, but it still surprised him to hear.

"Oh, I'm sorry for assuming. I don't think I've met many beautiful women without significant others of some sort."

"Thank you..." Kinue looked down and away as she blushed at the compliment, "I don't hear that a lot...the, uh...beautiful part."

Garma smirked and leant on one hand over his desk, a bit amused by the bold woman's sudden sheepishness. He had spent a long time trying to forget it, but she certainly was beautiful...something he had to come to grips with the night before, and if _he_ was noticing it then certainly others had too, "I'm surprised. Given the attention paid to you since a certain treaty, I would think you would have more admirers."

Kinue twiddled her thumbs as she felt like the entire world was watching her be embarrassed by the man she loved, only without him knowing that last part, "I get letters, but I'm too scared to open them unless they get screened," in an attempt to deflect the attention from herself, Kinue smiled at Garma sheepishly and offered him a different avenue of conversation, "I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you receive, sir. You probably have a mountain of fan-mail."

That brought Garma to groan, "Don't remind me. Once upon a time I tried reading them all, even answering a few of the less 'I love you because you are my Prince' ones. The love letters though...they can be a bit...excessive."

Or rather another 'e' word: explicit. Opening certain letters had been a mistake.

He once actually had sent a fan letter himself, but that was something he had been trying to forget for years...particularly since he hadn't even been brave enough to put his name on it back then while at the academy. Just a silly, young crush as many were prone to possessing, but which Kycilia had picked up on and seemingly decided to hang in front of his face a few months back. Little did she know, he had gotten over that a couple years ago, as one would expect of such a crush. Char had loved rubbing his face in it all though...as a best friend and roommate was wont to do, Garma thought.

In response to Garma's plight, Kinue offered her sympathy since she knew how sick Garma got of people flattering him only as a member of the Zabi family rather than as an actual individual, "I can imagine. I bet they flatter your superficial traits and don't really tackle who you are, just what you are or appear to be."

Garma leaned more on his hand, a small breath escaping his lips as Kinue explained exactly his issue with the vast majority of what he was sent by others, "I know I am the son of the Sovereign, but it would be nice to be seen as more than my face and status."

"You do have a handsome face. I should know, since it makes my job easier," Kinue remarked with a small laugh. He was equal parts handsome and pretty, and she found that he pulled off the whole bishōnen look pretty well. She'd be surprised if even men didn't find him to be a bit attractive.

The compliment actually caught Garma by surprise, with him trying to hide his resulting embarrassment by shifting his eyes away. Part of what he enjoyed about his subordinate he used to watch on television was that she wasn't like those other sycophants, so either she was acting like them now or...

Or she meant it. And if that was the case, then what?

"You don't have to flatter me. Everyone else does at just about every point."

Kinue shrugged at his attempt to deflect her compliment, "I only say what I mean. You know that."

That effectively shut Garma up, who honestly didn't know what to say back. A thank you? A 'you probably should not compliment your boss like that'?

What _should_ he say? And furthermore, what did he even _want_ to say?

"Hey, about last night..."

Garma blushed again as he heard Kinue start to bring up their little sleepover the night before. While nothing truly inappropriate had happened, Garma still felt embarrassed by how he had essentially had his half-dressed employee answer the door in the middle of the night just because he was wandering around.

"I am sorry for coming over at such an indecent hour."

Kinue grew a smug look as she realized just how embarrassed he was getting, "And I am sorry for greeting you in such indecent clothing."

Normally she wore two layers, and what Garma assumed was a sports bra or similar fixture to diminish her femininity, so her body was normally free of scrutiny, but remove the clothes and Garma was still having a hard time that day getting the images out of his mind. Could he label it psychological and physical torture to have viewed her bending over?

While a loose t-shirt and shorts were not fitting for work of course, Garma wouldn't mind if she perhaps wore a different outfit now and again. Perhaps something less...concealing. But that was the twenty year old man part of his mind speaking rather than the more rational and trained in basic manners part that was ignored partially when he next spoke.

"Perhaps that would be too much for a work setting, but if you want you can dress down more often if you want."

"I...I don't really have other clothes," Kinue admitted after a moment of hesitation and thought. A look at Garma's still flustered face however had the reporter go out on a limb and reveal something she had noticed the night before, doing so with a small press of the chest outwards, "And I _do_ wear what I do to hide the bust you were looking at last night."

"I..."

Garma's mouth was left open as he realized his small bout with lechery, unintentional as it may have been, had not gone unnoticed. What's more, that she continued to offer him a view, and even brought her chest against his back at one point, made him all the more confused.

Seeing him begin to short-circuit, Kinue laughed and held her hands out to try and calm him down, "Hey, Garma, it's okay. I...I actually don't mind."

Being given forgiveness made Garma both relieved as well as feel dirty, with him blushing as he admitted his shame for the unsavory targets of his eyesight, "My apologies. That was wrong of me, and befitting not of a son of the Zabi family but rather a common man."

To Kinue, who had to deal with common everyday people far more than Garma, was actually quite used to being looked at by now and so it wasn't something she felt needed even to be held over Garma's head, "Even Zabis have needs, right?"

And if Garma thought she was attractive...well then maybe she had a chance.

In Garma's mind however he still needed more forgiveness and thus sought an excuse for his actions the night before, said excuse coming in the form of something he had been hoping to keep hidden from his media expert ever since Kycilia decided to mess with him by assigning Kinue to work for him.

"In my defense, you were my first crush."

That short sentence shut down just about all mental activity in Kinue's mind, who blinked as she tried to make sense of it.

"I...what? Was what?"

Garma nodded as he admitted a piece of his past, "I couldn't date or look at the women at the military academy, but I _did_ watch a lot of news so I could keep up to date on world politics and what my family was doing, since they didn't like just telling me," he shrugged and blushed as he remembered a few years back how he had first become aware of her, "JNN had this girl just a bit older than me on occasionally."

By the time she came to work for him, Garma was over his little crush and was determined to not let a past flame of the heart interrupt what he found to be a good working relationship. While at first it had been a bit awkward for him, her dedicated professional attitude had helped him bury that hatchet once and for all quite quickly.

Coming to realize some of this, Kinue realized that as she slowly warmed up towards Garma and fell for his gentle heart, he was burying what remained of his own affection, "Oh..."

It would have been a bit soul crushing for her had it not also given her in that moment some hope: while he might not be presently interested, Kinue was left wondering if she couldn't somehow rekindle what was already there. No wonder he was seemingly immune to her occasional advances and compliments, he was actively _trying_ in some ways to not get too attached. Garna wasn't an idiot, he just was likely thinking that his mind was playing tricks on him whenever she said or acted in a way he might have considered more than friendly.

So, still oblivious to the fact that the person he was conversing with wanted to kiss him at the moment, Garma started to finish his detour into this explanation as to why he may have acted inappropriately the night before, "Please don't tell anyone. Now that you work for me, I wouldn't want something from my past like that getting out. It might make people think I put you on my staff for impure reasons, when in reality you are the best reporter I know."

Kinue was quite sure her face had never shined as red as it was as she not only was complimented by Garma but was also being told that he used to have a crush on her when he was still in school.

"I've been trying to forget about that ever since Kycilia said you were coming to work with us, but I suppose my memory has been jogged given certain circumstances."

Not about to be the only one embarrassed, Kinue thought it was time to mess with Garma again playfully, "You know, I was going to say you could come over my house whenever you want, but I wouldn't want to accidentally seduce my poor boss."

The bold audacity of her statement took Garma aback, the prince nearly scoffing as he fought to regain his composure. Once he wrangled it back to acceptable levels, Garma murmured, "I think I'll be fine."

"I'm just kidding Garma. But I mean it though when I say you can some by whenever you want. You're one of my only friends, so I could use the company," Kinue admitted after laughing playfully a bit.

"I may take you up on that," Garma responded, quite grateful for the emotional support she offered him in a time of great need, "I..."

He didn't actually know quite how to say it, but having someone comfort and care for him on a personal level...waking up to delicious food...it felt like the kind of life he wanted to have outside of his obligations and outside of the war. It was something he had been craving for, however consciously or unconsciously.

To say the thought of asking Kinue out on a date now didn't cross Garma's mind would be to lie, but he refrained from the urge out of professional integrity. It did hurt, however, to be sacrificing the opportunity to more intimately indulge himself in the comfort he had felt in her home thanks to her care. It was what he had wanted from Kycilia, support and love, but had been starved of for years.

For now, however, Garma was content with a platonic relationship, since Kinue seemed quite willing to help shoulder his burdens even as a friend.

"Thank you for letting me stay the night. I haven't ever had someone do something like that for me."

Kinue opened her mouth to respond, but someone else's voice rang out.

"Lord Garma, are you ready?"

It was Emmerich, who had just opened the door to check in on Garma. It was about time for them to have their dinner together, and so he just wanted to make sure. Emmerich couldn't tell because her back was to him, but Kinue was trying to shoot daggers all the way around the world right into his back.

Garma stood up and began to ready himself by putting to rest the work on his desk he had been ignoring the last few minutes in favor of his conversation with Kinue, "Uh, just a moment Emmerich."

Once he was settled with his desk, Garma rushed across the room to greet his guards as well as to flee the increasingly revealing and intimate conversation he had been having. He did stop however to say farewell to the one staying behind.

"Have a good night, Kinue."

Kinue grinned at him as she too bid farewell, "And you have fun with the guys."

Picking up on their rosy cheeks, Emmerich put his hands on his hips and rose an eyebrow at them, "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No," both Garma and Kinue denied at the same time, Garma exiting the room as he did so while Kinue just remained seated and secretly mad at Emmerich for indeed interrupting something.

Not oblivious to her seeming irritation, Emmerich approached her chair and whispered over to her so that no-one else could hear him, "I walked in on something, didn't I?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she denied, though she knew he already knew of her affections towards Garma so it was ultimately pointless.

"My bad, I'll make it up to you, okay?"

That made Kinue worried, just as it had Amir, "What? How?"

From outside the room Garma called back into it to urge his guard to hurry up, "Coming Emmerich?"

"Of course, sir! Wouldn't miss our dinner for the world!"

After the guards and Garma left and they closed the office door, some short time later Darota would be startled while walking by at the sound of a woman yelling "Yes!" from inside Garma's office.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you to Jaenera Targaryen and Kaiser Chris for your reviews last chapter, and I hope you continue to enjoy and leave your thoughts.**_

 _ **For those wondering, to help explain why I was writing Kinue into the main cast (other than the meta reason of wanting to reward the players for saving her life) I handwaved it as being because Garma was a fan of Kinue's reporting and Kycilia decided to assign their new reporter to him as a result of that.**_

 _ **Also, for those who want giant robot fights, don't worry you'll be getting one next chapter! That, and the dinner. Dinner first though. Oh, and it'll be another POV chapter, this time from Amir's perspective and co-authored by his player, so that'll be a thing. Putting that together with him was actually part of what delayed this chapter, since I was dividing my time between coordinating that chapter and finishing up this one.**_

 _ **Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below!**_


	23. Bonus: Breaking The Frostbite

_**A/N: Sorry for the absence. Many various reasons for it, a big part being that I've only had a few hours each day this past month to do anything at all each day thanks to health problems, but I'm back now and fine.**_

 _ **Thanks to**_ ** _Jaenera Targaryen and Kaiser Chris for your reviews. It's very much appreciated, and thank you to those of you who have favorited/followed the story as well._**

 _ **Now, bringing to you the chapter Amir's player helped me with. Heads up, Amir's thoughts will be...different than most other characters given how he is.**_

* * *

 _Character: Amir Hiyento_

 _Date: May 0079_

* * *

"We interrupt anything, sir?"

Lord Garma smirks as we all leave his office behind, seeming amused by both Emmerich's suggestive question and also by whatever he had just been discussing with Miss Crossroad, "No, not at all. Just smalltalk about the burdens of fan mail."

"I wish I got fan mail. Aren't I, the dreaded Sandman of Zeon, worthy of fanmail?"

Come to think of it, we are still two of Zeon's top aces at the moment, though things are not as simple or clear as the beginning of the war in terms of numbers. Chances are I have surpassed Emmerich by now, in part thanks to the Guren, and in part thanks to the close combat down here on Earth giving me an advantage over him.

Lord Garma appears to be less impressed by fanmail than Emmerich, "It's not all it's cracked up to be unfortunately."

"I still want it. Then I can claim to be actually famous."

As we continue walking to where we will be eating dinner Emmerich speaks up with a question on his mind, "Why didn't you invite Miss Crossroad as well?"

"My idea was to invite my Royal Guard to dinner to pick their brains and know more about them. I know Urabe is training Miss Crossroad in self-defense thanks to the attempt on her life, but she isn't one of my guards. If I do a media dinner she'll be the first one I invite."

That all makes sense. I may not be the thoughtful one of our group, but even I can piece together that it all checks out logically as an excuse.

Unfortunately, I am the suspicious one of us, so I see it as that: an excuse. He's not sure how to ask a female colleague out to dinner, so he's first doing it with us. He wishes to accomplish both to get to know all of us better, but he is less comfortable doing that, so first he is tackling the easier part of the equation.

There is some pause before Garma eyes Urabe suspiciously and grins at him, "Unless of course you were asking because you're interested in having dinner with her. Won't Rakshata skin you alive?"

Urabe grins right back, "The only one here who isn't taken is you, sir, so I think we're all fine."

It's true. Somehow the handsome one of this quartet is the only one who hasn't even had a girlfriend or significant other. We would know, since we have to keep track of him all the time and he did not possess one prior to us working with him by all records, so Garma is the relationship virgin.

And normal virgin, chances are, though perhaps Emmerich and Urabe are as well.

Our dear leader seems to be the only one who was out of the loop on this and balks at the realization, "Wait, all of you have...lovers?"

I leave it up to Urabe and Emmerich to confirm it for him, with Urabe being the one to step up to the plate and nod, "I have my...thing with Rakshata, Amir exchanges letters with Ensign Hepner, and Emmerich...you've got that girl in Australia, right?"

Emmerich rubs the back of his brown hair, "Yuki and I are deliberately vague. We went on a date and had fun, but we're on opposite sides of the world so we're just waiting for a better time to hash out just what we are."

"I suppose I am the only one here without a lover..." Garma says, seemingly crestfallen. Yes, I know that word. I am not that unintelligent.

Urabe tries to cheer Garma up and adopts a big smile, "I'm sure there are many willing women, sir. I would be damned if you couldn't find one on base if you looked!"

Garma regains some of his composure as he shoots down the suggestion, "As if I would date a subordinate. That would be unprofessional and would reflect poorly upon my family. It would look like I abused my rank, either through pressuring them or through giving them special treatment."

Emmerich, knowing of someone in particular on the base he had told you he'd get together with Garma, now is the one who is crestfallen as he seems worried Garma is serious, "Never?"

"I take my position seriously. If I didn't, I would have bothered answering one of the love letters sent to me by now."

That certainly makes sense...after all, it isn't fishing when the entire sea of fish is trying to leap on your hook.

Still, it is admirable that Garma is holding to his beliefs, even if it means Miss Crossroad won't be having any more nighttime visitation, "Our leader is a man of conviction."

My words appear to please Garma's ego, though his response is a bit shy and humble, "Or so I like to believe."

Emmerich snaps a salute to Garma, his voice humorous, "Sir, with your permission and enough time I believe I could requisition a worthy lover for you! May I use my network of contacts to locate you a proper woman?"

He already knows who he means, he's just masking that fact for Garma.

As he walks in front of us I can see Garma counting on his fingers, "Your contacts are as follows: myself, Amir, Urabe, Rakshata, Kinue, and Dozle. For my role as one of your contacts, I am not going to use my resources for such an endeavor, and Amir would just laugh at you."

It's true, "I would."

Continuing, Garma shreds Emmerich's plan bit by bit, still not knowing that Emmerich was just using it as a way of obfuscating what he actually intends, "Urabe is as limited as you are in contacts, Rakshata would ignore you, I don't want to let the person responsible for my public image to think I'm that desperate, and Dozle has already tried to pair me with multiple of his wife's friends and if I have one more awkward ballroom conversation I may never recover."

Garma's logical dissection of it gives way to him grinning and shooting it down another way.

"Furthermore, permission denied because I am fine as I am. I am young still, and while one should have children earlier rather than later I still have years before that becomes my reality. I am here to win a war, not to find a wife."

Emmerich, grinning as well, tried again, "But both wouldn't be bad, huh?"

Garma blushes, "No, I suppose not. But it isn't a priority for me, honestly."

It might not be a 'priority' for him, but unless he fixes his depression somehow I doubt he will be able to even function well enough to lead this war effort. And if that means having Miss Crossroad below his desk blowing him while he does paperwork I'm sure the world wouldn't stop.

"Maybe it should be."

Garma turns back to glance at me and snorts at my suggestion, "I didn't realize I invited my Father to dinner."

Urabe backs me up, though takes another direction with it, "He may have a point, sir. What if anything were to happen to you? You have no heir, and given how much people seem to want to kill you perhaps it would be for the best if you did."

To this Garma has nothing to say, likely in some part agreeing with Urabe but unable to actually say it out loud. This leaves the last twenty or so feet of our journey to the location of food to be silent, though I for one don't mind.

Where we were going is a special dining room reserved for Garma, and inside there is quite the exquisite meal prepared for us all. All the dishes are Earth-specialties from a variety of sources, though perhaps are too high society for our crowd, even Garma, and are likely just a sign of the cooks trying to do their absolute best for our lord, even if something simpler would be more appealing.

"So...can we just eat anything here? It almost looks too good to touch..."

Lord Garma nods and gives him permission as we all sit down, "Go right ahead. It's for you, after all.

We all fill our plates and begin to eat, with Urabe being the first to comment on something he has begun to drink.

"I'm already impressed, sir. Do you normally eat such delicacies like this soup?"

I see Emmerich's face tense up and I feel my own grow pale as we recognize what he's drinking...it's not supposed to be consumed that way.

Lord Garma is the one who explains it to him, "Urabe, that...that is sauce. It's not a soup."

"Oh…"

 _Great_. Twenty seconds in and our Captain's already fucked it up. Absolutely fantastic.

"So, Lord Garma, want to do an icebreaker?"

 _Oh hell no, don't you dare Emmerich._

"An icebreaker?" Garma asks, apparently unsure of what that saying meant.

I decide to oblige him as a way of avoiding the stupid game, "A usually irritating process by which people get to know one another."

"Oh, I...I suppose that may be appropriate."

 _Fuck_. I'm putting nails in Emmerich's food tomorrow.

Emmerich seems pleased with Garma accepting his dumbass idea and so smiles cheerfully as he begins the suffering, "So, let me start things off. What would you be if you were an animal?"

What are we, _five_? He's a dead man.

Urabe nods his head to the icebreaker question and begins to contemplate the subject, "That is an easy one I suppose. My mother told me I was born in the year of the horse. I've never bothered to check, but I always have had a certain affinity for them."

Now that he's done it, it's my freakin' turn it feels, so I just say cheetah because they are fast and quickly pass it along to Garma.

"I...I have to think. I never was particularly close or had an affinity to any animals when I was younger."

"What about wolves, or is that too Midnight Fenrir for you?" Emmerich suggests, referencing Schmitzer's group.

Garma appreciates the thought and smiles as he continues to think, "I suppose I am typical in enjoying wolves for their many admirable qualities, but Schmitzer and his team have wolves taken already I suppose. Perhaps there is something to their usage of Norse mythology, as I do remember reading of it when I was younger. They had a great many animals and beasts...

Urabe's eyes light up as he realizes something, "That's right, our Gaws and ships have been named after various figures. The Loki is still being repaired, while its sister...er, brother ship Thor needs a bit more of an overhaul.

That wasn't the only time we've been on a Norse related carrier though, "Come to think of it, the Jotunheim with M'Quve was also named after Norse mythology."

Garma comes to explain why this is with a nod followed by a wistful tone, "Kycilia would read me old fairy tales when I was younger, and I always enjoyed those she read of the trickster god Loki and his exploits. Perhaps it meant something to her as well."

"So, sir, do you have anything in mind then?" Emmerich inquires.

Our Lord continues to think, honestly placing way too much thought into a dumb childish game meant for Kindergarten. You will pay for this Emmerich…

"My Father may be Odin, but the roles of Thor and Loki are likely best suited to my brothers Dozle and Gihren, for Dozle is a great warrior and Loki is one of great wit. At least, the ancient religious tome has led me to believe as much in its many issues that comprise the compilation. I think Odin may have other sons, but I am honestly not wary of them, leaving me look elsewhere. Schmitzer has absconded with the mighty wolf Fenrir's name, but Loki had another son I do believe, by the name of Sleipnir.

Leave it to Lord Garma to overthink this...

Urabe, recognizing the name, inquired further about it, "That's a horse-thing, right?"

"Correct. An eight legged horse who was the instrument by which Odin would charge into battle. My purpose here on Earth is to carry out the will of my Father and our nation, acting as the vessel by which Zeon finds its victory."

It makes sense and it is fitting enough that one of our nation's leaders chose a mythological god, though I cannot help but note that two of us have chosen horses.

"That, and a way of one-upping Urabe."

Garma runs with my joking suggestion and plays it straight, "Eight legs may be too much, but perhaps. If my subordinate takes an animal as his own, I cannot just simply take one of its ilk, but rather one above it."

Urabe pats my roommate on the shoulder and laughs, "Well, one left! Emmerich hasn't gone yet."

"Hehe, I guess….well, I haven't put much thought into it either actually."

Are you _kidding_ me.

"You came up with the question."

He laughs at my irritation, "I guess I'll just have to pass. I'll get back to you guys on it. Sorry!"

No. I have a solution. Vengeance is now.

"Your animal is a hamster."

Emmerich holds a fist up at me, "Why you…"

Our guard captain cuts our bickering off by moving the overall conversation onward, "How about I ask the question this time? What's an interesting quirk or habit you have? For me, I take care of my family's katana each and every morning and each night. This can be sharpening it, cleaning it, or any other number of things needed to maintain the blade that I've been told comes from before the Universal Century began...So, what about you, my Lord?"

Garma blinks and remains silent as everyone looks at him.

Oh. _Right_.

Emmerich chuckles as he addresses the elephant in the room, "I think we all know you twirl your hair to the point none of us even notice it anymore."

It is true, the fact of the matter is that he does it so often as he concentrates I don't even notice it at this point. What I _do_ notice is that Kinue's started doing it a little bit too, likely from her prolonged exposure to him, though hopefully I do not pick up the habit as well...

For my answer I explain how I always carry a blade with me at all times, even now, and in a place where it can be pulled and used if necessary. It isn't as 'fun' as Urabe's habit, but it is what it is.

This leaves Emmerich to mention one about himself, "And I enjoy building computers when I can, some of which I even use in my mobile suit in place of the factory made ones that always skimp out where they can.

I snort at him, "No wonder your cockpit looks so messy. Does Rakshata know?"

Urabe grins while offering an apologetic look to our third team-member, "I am pretty sure she ignores the Zaku when she can help it..."

It takes a moment, but I guess now I should be the one to ask the others something...something I vocalize to buy myself time in coming up with a topic.

"I suppose I should ask something now."

"Got any ideas?" Emmerich asks, seeming excited to see what I was going to come up with.

"If you can do it, of course I can," I claim, though I take another moment to finish thinking about what might actually work as a topic, "What...is the worst thing you have ever eaten? For me, it was literal garbage when I was younger. Orphans don't tend to eat gourmet food."

My question out there, everyone turns to Urabe, who is eating _another_ thing that is not meant to just be eaten on its own, and he sheepishly stops as he asks, "Again?"

Garma slowly nods as he comes to realize just how little taste Urabe possesses, "I will let the chefs know that their...whatever that is was great all on its own."

"I'm sorry my Lord. I don't really have too much of a sense of taste. Even burnt food would probably taste the same or good to me."

Emmerich clears his throat to save Urabe everyone's shared glares of disbelief, "While I don't think I can top garbage, I did once eat dolphin. My dad told me we were eating meat imported from the homeland, and...yeah. Poor Flipper.

The name inclusion confuses Garma, though I presume it's just another thing Emmerich grew up knowing thanks to his ancient history obsessed father.

"You named it Flipper?"

Emmerich starts but then stops trying to say what he meant by that, "It's an old...you know what, never mind. It'd take a lot of explaining."

Garma lets it pass and takes his own turn, "If you say so...for me, I suppose the worst food I have ever consumed was when Kycilia was ill and Dozle was the one cooking instead. I didn't know you could burn cider, but I was proven wrong."

Dozle? Cooking? I would like to see that...not eat it, Captain Urabe can be the one who does that, but I am curious all the same...

Since everyone else has gone now in this infantile game and made a question to be asked, Urabe prods Garma to do the same, "Now it's your turn, sir. You come up with a question for all of us, and don't forget to answer it yourself."

"I..."

As the only one who seemingly has no idea how these things work, Lord Garma is now left awkwardly trying to formulate a response to give.

Emmerich chimes in to try and cheer him on, "Don't worry sir, I'm sure you can come up with something great."

"Now you have the expectations set high..." Garma complains, though after a moment of what appears to be deep thought and contemplation of the ceiling he asks, "What is the closest thing you have ever done with a friend?"

Might as well get this over with, since once Garma's question is over this stupid game of Emmerich's will end...hopefully, "Jordan and I went bar crawling after we graduated from the academy. I can't remember it, but chances are with six hours of drinking we bonded pretty well. Or I stabbed a fork through someone's eye. Either or both."

No one seems at all surprised by my admission of brutality, with my partner frowning at me instead over something else entirely, "You never go bar crawling with me."

Really Emmerich? We go drinking together all the time. Bar crawls are expensive _and_ time consuming, going from bar to bar while completely hammered.

"We haven't had a vacation since we came to Earth where I could sleep one off. And I am not quite sure I am welcome back at enough bars on Side Three to do one there."

"You did start that brawl with the Tri-Stars..." Lord Garma mentions, having likely heard of it from his brother in full detail. We get to discussing that incident, their subsequent injuries, how those injuries let a certain Federation soldier steal a Zaku, the entire Antarctic Treaty debacle, and eventually all of us coming to realize that if I hadn't started a bar fight our lives right now might be very different. The Tri-Stars might be alive, the Federation wouldn't have stolen that top of the line Zaku, we may not have come to work for Garma without all of the drama going on at the time...

Emmerich cheerfully brings up that while Amir swinging a bottle changed a lot, so did his ears just by chance catching the dying breaths of someone at the Antarctic Treaty. Fortunately his hearing Miss Crossroad saved her life, and now we are better off in our public relations for that.

As horrible as it was to my pride, at least the events of the Antarctic Treaty have played out in an interesting manner. I don't know if the war would have ended or what would have happened otherwise, but this is how things went and so it is the world I must live in.

"If my hearing was worse maybe you wouldn't be losing at chess everyday, sir," Emmerich jokes darkly.

"I think my pride is not so fragile that I would trade a small, daily humiliation for the life of a friend."

"What are you even going to do if you win? Kinue makes you read books on tactics and strategy when you lose, but have you even thought what you'll ask for when you win?"

"No, actually...I do intend to win, so I ought to come up with something, shouldn't I?"

Chess is a bit boring, but it keeps the other occupied.

Eventually our discussion of things and eating of dinner is interrupted by some guy...Garrote? Darosa? No, I think it was something like 'Darota'...anyways, Darota barging in and saluting suddenly to Garma.

"I am sorry to interrupt, sir, but there is a skirmish nearby that has broken out that I thought you would want to be informed of."

Garma starts to clean his face with a napkin and get up from his seat, "We aren't needed there, are we?"

"The forces engaged should win the battle," Darota says to confirm that this is just a battle update, not a call to action.

Little does he know that Garma will jump on any battle he can, as if he has a death wish in placing himself at the very front of the lines day after day. And of course that means _we_ are along for the ride.

Garma finishes cleaning himself and we all rise up and prepare ourselves as well, "Then let us go help them to reduce their casualties."

Hopefully the soldiers don't take all the fun by the time we get there...and if they do, Garma will make sure there is another battle we get to taste sometime soon. His pride, honor, ego, compassion, and crushing desire to prove himself won't allow for anything else, save the Federation just all of a sudden surrendering.

* * *

"Whoever is in charge, report. What is the battle's condition?"

The battlefield we have been dropped on is a forest filled one which leads to a series of mountains, none of which is great terrain for mobile suits. The trees will slow us down, as will the mountains, though we should still be functional at least.

Garma's broadcast is acknowledged a few moments afterwards by a voice I've heard in the mess hall before, one of the regular lieutenants of the base that I had never had much reason to notice before. Wiry guy who needed glasses, but he's a pilot so he must be halfway decent at it, "Lieutenant Kolane reporting in. We outnumber them, but they don't commit, they just keep moving and falling back."

I can almost hear Urabe's smirk over the radio as he chimes in, "A skilled foe, then."

He always likes a challenge, compared at least to it being none at all, since there being no challenge relaxes a pilot and can make them drop their guard. Having a challenge though lets one keep their skills sharp, or so he says.

Kolane speaks up to the other mobile suits under his command, numbering six Zakus in total in a mixture of Zaku-I and Zaku-II's, "Ensigns O'Reilly and Bryant, take your teams and try to flank them."

Garma responds swiftly we begin to reach their force, catching sight of the last retreating enemy as they disappear into the thick forest, "Belay that order."

"Sir?"

"They have fallen back into a region with thick woods and mountain ranges. If you try to go around, you will have to traverse a large amount of land to meet up with our forces again. We would be splitting our forces and making them easier targets to pick off."

I doubt the enemy is that thoughtful, but it wouldn't do to be careless. Garma's right to plan for the worst here since we don't know what we're walking into. It's odd that a smaller Federation force would assault our Zakus, so maybe they were just trying a hit and run tactic? They didn't destroy any Zakus despite attacking them, so they must be pretty poor shots.

We follow Kolane's team of seven into the woods slowly, careful to try and spot our enemies as the night begins to make the tough task in the forest near impossible. In near silence we continue for a minute or two like this, at least until one Zaku at the front of the pack, the one belonging to Ensign O'Reilly, catches its foot on something in the darkness and falls down to one knee. In this moment which caught everyone's attention gunfire rings out and strikes the many Zakus before us, diverting our attention in yet another direction just as out of a completely different direction a dark green Zaku-I emerges and swings its Heat Hawk right down at Garma's Gouf's cockpit in a startling display of speed and precision, likely the result of a custom suit piloted by a skilled man.

Garma blocks the incoming attack with a shield and begins to defend himself as a firefight breaks out in the forest, the only light truly being from our mobile suits and from the light of our muzzles as we fire.

"Federation forces, I recommend you surrender now!"

Whoever is fighting Garma speaks to him over the same radio channel, "Sorry, not in my contract. Did you like the present from the other night?"

I am forced to duck my suit as I see a Zaku with a black body emerge from the darkness nearby me to open fire with more precision, its attacks missing as I draw my blade and swing it at them.

Garma continues to speak to this enemy, likely the leader of their group by the sound of things, "So you were the one behind that!"

The knockoff Zaku I'm facing turns out to not be a knockoff at all when I close the distance with it and clash my blade against its Heat Hawk, the colors of the Black Tri Star's stolen suit shining before me in a brief flash as our blades lock.

Given that this is an important enemy for our leader, and as someone he and I both intend to kill, I call out to him to mention it, "Sir, the stolen Zaku is here!"

Whoever Garma's opponent is does a good job at keeping him busy, as I see Garma try to open fire on my opponent with his gatling gun only to have his aim shifted thanks to a strike from his foe, "I apologize if you wanted to fight my ally, but you have to deal with me."

Garma suffers no damage from the Federation Zaku's weapon and he almost casually goes back to fighting the enemy leader who was obviously trying to assassinate him.

"Then I'll kill you first."

My opponent speaks up after letting off a near animalistic laugh, "You guards are better than I've heard. After I humiliated them back at the Antarctic Treaty one would be forgiven for thinking you incompetent fools!"

"Federation soldier, what is your name?" Garma inquires as he bashes back his present opponent, who escapes further retribution by twisting out of the way of Garma's blade swing just barely.

These guys are good...better than I'd like them to be, and Kolane's group is almost just getting in the way. If they weren't here though I'd imagine that the enemy Zakus they are holding off would instead all be trying to strike Garma, so it is good that Garma had them stay with him.

My opponent blocks a strike aiming for their head unit as he responds to Garma arrogantly, "I'm not here to chat, but if you think you can be stupid enough to come out here in-person and get away, you've got another thing coming."

That earns a growl from Garma as he steps back and lets Emmerich fire upon them, but the enemy seems to have seen this coordination coming somehow and avoids my partner's attack completely.

"Stupid?"

I slash into one of my opponent's arms, but they use that moment to kick my Guren in the leg and drop me to a lower level. They use this moment of distraction to surge past me and grab O'Reilly, who has been under constant assault since he was tripped up and had been unable to recover truly from it. My opponent, the one I am almost sure is the one I fought before thanks to his movements and his words, holds up his Heat Hawk to the downed Zaku's cockpit threateningly while also grabbing it and pulling it up to be a living shield as he continues to threaten it with his blade.

"Here, idiot prince, you going to shoot your own ally?"

Garma could probably tear both of them apart with his gatling gun by punching through it, but he hesitates and the stolen Zaku uses that time to move forward and swing at him.

"You're weak!"

However, I've used this time to recover myself and leap in the way of his attack, parrying him and forcing him to drop my ally. This Zaku's damaged arm unit is sparking and further damage or use may cause it to become useless, so I press my attack.

"You are that pilot from before, aren't you?" I ask him, wanting to make sure that who I am attacking is exactly who I've been wanting to fight again all these months.

"So what if I am?"

Garma responds for me, blocking an attack coordinated from two enemies using both of his shields.

"That's all I needed to know: all units, disable the black and purple Zaku! Do not let it escape, but do not destroy it either!"

He wants to question them...smart, but can we even manage to defeat this enemy in such a manner? Death may be the only solution.

"Hah, as if you could in the first place!"

We continue to equally trade blows, the fewer enemies proving themselves to be the peers of Garma, Emmerich, Urabe, and I, while outclassing our seven other allies. I cannot truly tell how many of them there are, but it feels like eleven to about seven and we still are not coming out ahead in a clear victory. They are well-directed in their movements and know the terrain it seems, allowing them to slip in and out of it to attack us in ways we cannot retaliate well from.

The enemy leader kicks Kolane's suit as the man moves in to help Garma right before swinging down at Garma's cockpit again, only to catch instead Urabe's suit with the hit. It tears across it but not in any way lethal to our Captain fortunately, and Urabe retaliates by cleaving both arms off of their suit.

"Thank you, Urabe."

It's been all I could do to just keep up with this Tri-Star Zaku, possessing the better suit but this other pilot to my deep chagrin proving himself to be more skilled. He's a natural, and it enrages me as each of us trades blow after blow without significant progress against the other, when if it was like any other Federation pilot right now I would be carving through them with my weapon.

With the enemy leader's mobile suit damaged, he backpedals in a way that utilizes his Zaku's thrusters without colliding with any of the terrain, disappearing quickly into the darkness save for the glimmer of his thrust as he retreats.

"We're done here. It's time to fall back."

The one I'm fighting seems reluctant to leave, but once his allies have fallen back he does so as well with a bit of encouragement from Emmerich as he fires upon the black and purple Zaku.

The fighting over in the blink of an eye as our foes retreat rapidly, Garma lets out an exhausted breath and speaks to us all.

"All units, report in."

I look around and see something surprising: no defeated Zakus from either side.

Interesting...they really _were_ going for Garma from the start, since I'm sure they could have taken out some of the others. If Garma did not have his Gouf he may have been in a fair deal of trouble.

* * *

When we return to base we are the technical victors, having driven off an enemy attack, but it sure doesn't feel that way. The enemy lured Garma out and took a shot at him, having predicted that he would respond personally to an attack nearby his base. That was too close for comfort.

I meet up with Garma, Emmerich, and Urabe after the battle and see thankfully that each of us is fine. Sometimes Garma won't report injuries he receives in combat because he knows others will overreact, while we are expected to stay and fight until the end if we can help it, so our injuries are overlooked at times thanks to all of us tending to ignore them. One time I even came back with a limp and didn't notice it until Urabe noticed it and Garma insisted I get it checked out.

As we congregate together we are joined by a fifth, that being Miss Crossroad, who rushed to our side (or rather, Garma's) as soon as the movement of the mobile suits ended and she was no longer under threat of accidentally being stepped on.

"I heard about the battle. Is everyone okay?"

Garma lets out a breath of relief, though there is a bit of frustration to it, "No casualties on either side whatsoever."

Given how rare that is, Kinue speaks as if she doesn't believe him, "How?"

"They arranged the whole affair to take a shot at killing me. We held our own, and when they realized they could not win they ran."

"Using your soldiers as bait…" Kinue contemplates how it's the perfect counter to Garma's sense of honor and plays to his many character traits, especially since it's a trap he'll more than willingly walk into again, "Crafty, but shameless."

Emmerich tries to put on a cheerful and brave face to lighten the mood, "Yeah but we'll get them next time! If they're trying to pick a fight with us like they have been the past few days, chances are they'll be back, and then we'll beat them."

Urabe is more dour about the subject, closer to my own feelings on it, substituting some rage for calm contemplation, "I don't like that these Federation soldiers seem a bit smarter than others. They know our movements about as fast as we do, so they have to have been studying us for some time, and that puts us at quite the disadvantage..."

The discussion is interrupted by Garma's stomach protesting how he did not manage to eat much at all earlier, and it was now pretty late, so he was starving. I brought with me a ration to eat on the way back so I'm fine, and I'm almost certain Emmerich has something to snack on in his messy cockpit, while Urabe ate more than all of us at dinner even if some of what he ate wasn't meant to be consumed the way he did.

In essence, Garma was starving while only a couple feet away from someone who would feed him in a heartbeat I'm sure.

"I suppose I did not finish eating before...sorry," Garma says in joking apology at the loud noises coming from his stomach.

As if on cue, Kinue smiles at him as if seizing an opportunity, "If you want I can make something for you."

And there it is. Just fuck already.

But no, Garma's a prude, and so is Miss Crossroad, so every day I have to see these two add to that pile of sexual tension and never paying it off. At this rate, when you two _do_ finally just get to it we'll have a dozen new Zabi heirs one after the other just to make up for all of this.

"There will be plenty left over from the dinner we abandoned, so I would not want it to go to waste. Thank you though."

Dear Zeon...

Can he really not tell? Either I am working for an idiot or the world's most naive man, and neither of those bodes well for me on the battlefield.

"Of course. Wouldn't want to insult your chefs."

This is where you insist, not agree with him. Fuck the chefs. Not literally, but I mean, who cares about them?

Garma seems to pick up on something before the rest of us, though now that he mentions it I see it too.

"Is something wrong?"

Kinue's happy expression has cracked and she now seems nervous. Still, she tries to put on a brave facade to smile at Garma again.

"I was just worried, that's all."

You know, I'm actually rooting for Emmerich tomorrow. Whatever he's got up his sleeve, I'm all for it.

Before Garma and Kinue can resolve their little conversation a woman yelling at our group ceases the talk and sends shivers up Urabe's spine.

"Foolish man, look what you did to my child!"

Oh good, another distraction. I should probably leave now to escape Rakshata's wrath, though I am fairly certain Urabe will be taking most of the flak.

"You should probably run," Garma warns him while the rest of us smirk, Urabe instead standing his ground and tilting his head up arrogantly.

"I am a warrior, I do not run when I can stand my ground."

Chances are rising of him being in the infirmary tomorrow...

While I am sure Rakshata wouldn't take things anywhere near that far (unlike me), I do still think it would be best if he relocated himself immediately.

"The Art of War would disagree," Emmerich adds-in.

"That's Chinese, I am Japanese, the same as you. We are not bound by its code of conduct."

Rakshata reaches us and gestures to the damage on the Gekka, her face absolutely fuming, "How did you even damage it? Those terrible Zakus shouldn't have scratched it!"

"Amir damaged his too."

A weak defense, but it _is_ true, but we possess a very important difference I do not believe he is accounting for.

"I'm not sleeping with her though."

Urabe balks while Rakshata levies her pipe at me threateningly.

"We only have had dinner together. You should not presume anything, rude man."

Everyone shares a laugh at their expense, Rakshata seemingly not minding while Urabe is blushing as he twists his head away from us all. When the group laugh comes to end Kinue nods her head back towards the direction of the civilian residential area.

"As fun as seeing Urabe get whipped may be, I should probably go. I'm glad you're all okay," she says sincerely, likely grateful that we, as her only friends, didn't actually get ambushed like she likely heard over the communications. As she turns to leave, she stops and then looks back to Lord Garma, who she smiles at, "Want to come over, Garma?"

"After I eat, I don't see why not."

Garma follows after her, and Rakshata drags Urabe off to go help her mechanics fix the Gekka, leaving me with Emmerich and a feeling that maybe we just witnessed a successful booty call.

...was it a success? It's hard to say yet...maybe tomorrow they won't show up for work and I can take the day off. I think that would be best for everyone involved. Chances are though with these two that it'll be platonic and they're just going to watch anime like the weeaboo Kinue is, just like Emmerich.

Speaking of whom...

"Emmerich, are you going to implement your grand master plan or not?"

Now Emmerich is the one haughtily tilting his head up in a display of arrogance, "I already did."

...when? _How?_ I was there the entire time and Emmerich at no point told them to go fuck.

"You did?"

Emmerich crosses his arms now and nods, "Yes. You'll see! Give it one day."

"One day?"

"I'll bet you half of my next paycheck."

Hah, no.

"If you are that sure, then no."

"Oh come on!"

Now I leave the hangar and wave farewell to my partner, hiding a grin by having my backed turned to him.

"I'm holding you to that _'one'_ day. Looking forward to it."

Hah...I wonder if he's right. Maybe those two _will_ get laid finally, freaking workaholics...

And if they don't, I guess I'll have to keep putting up with some more foreplay. I've been through worse, but I won't lie, it's growing harder by the day to _not_ mention it.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below!**


	24. A Quiet Morning's Grace

"You seem surprised."

Garma had not expected a look of surprise from his head bodyguard when the man arrived for duty in the early morning and found his boss actually at his desk. Instead of looking haggard or exhausted as per usual, Garma was seemingly back to his usual self and quite well-kempt. The growing disillusionment and disgruntlement was absent and while Garma's physical state still had signs of its previous status he seemed to be quite fine overall. This was so abnormal in and of itself that for Urabe it was quite the sight, and so he had been unable to hide it when he entered the room.

To try to mask some of it Urabe spins it to be just about his boss beating him to work early in the morning, but the homemade food Garma was enjoying as he works on reports which were contained in things which most certainly did not come from on-base told its own story that Urabe was fine leaving alone for now...but he was _still_ tempted to say something and was not sure he could hold himself back for long.

"You know, sir, you were over Miss Crossroad's house later than any of us were on duty. I was not expecting you so early."

Realizing that his guard's words may have an implication behind them, Garma gives his subordinate and friend a semi-serious glance but remains smiling throughout, "Nothing happened. We just watched a movie and some episodes of a show she recommended, nothing scandalous whatsoever."

"The last time you slept over her house you didn't come in until the afternoon. Nothing at all?"

Rather than entertain the irreverent question Garma diverts the subject, "My apologies for having been up too late thinking about nearly having died."

Urabe nods, understanding how it must have felt to nearly be assassinated given that he was there to witness Garma go through it, "That wasn't all too long ago, you know. Are you doing alright?"

"I...I had help. Speaking with my father and Kinue got me through the worst of it. I'll be fine soon enough, you don't need to worry."

For his guard he did not really feel much need to, given Garma's present appearance and demeanor. If he was going to spend more nights at Kinue's house and wake up relaxed and cared for, then it was for everyone's good Urabe felt especially since Garma was lacking for the most part someone to confide in. If he could go 'home' to his female friend and come back with the weights on his shoulders lessened it would mean Garma could do his job better which would in turn make the stagnating war effort better and perhaps turn things around.

And if anything were to 'happen' while he was there...well that might just be for the best as well. Given the time of day Garma first visited her and how he would blush when the subject came up, chances were he's at least _noticed_ her in a certain way and that just meant they would be all that much easier to get together since he obviously respected her other features as well. A keen mind and friendliness were two great positives to have, but a body to match was probably making the young lord question his own resolve by now. 'No subordinates' and all worked in theory, but if he kept spending nights there...well one would have to wait and see.

"Knock, knock."

Speaking of the devil, the door opened and in came Kinue, who had been growing ever more casual around the prince and his guards thanks to the long hours they all spent together and thus did not bother to go through any ceremony of having Urabe or some other guard open the door for her. Garma greets her with a smile as he takes in her clothing choice for the day, it being quite different from her usual dark blue undershirt, teal buttoned shirt, and khaki pants combination. Instead today she was wearing a form-fitting blue buttoned shirt which matched the blue of his alternate uniform, and a casual set of dress pants which matched the shirt well. Unlike the double shirt combination which hid her figure this outfit accentuated her appearance and was eye-catching to say the least given that it was only buttoned up just above the point it would be considered improper but not all the way to be considered completely formal.

She was dressed to impress, and it was quite obvious to Urabe about _who_ she was trying to impress with it since she was semi-awkwardly looking at Garma as if to read what he thought of it and by proxy her...it was just as obvious that she had absolutely no experience with this sort of thing, which made sense given her background as a workaholic who raised her younger brother and had no personal life until recently, but it still stood out.

"Good morning, Kinue. I see you do possess more than one set of clothes," Garma stated, beginning quite politely but changing into a tone of good humor partway through as he noted her tendency to wear her own sort of uniform despite being a civilian.

"I thought I would try something different," Kinue responded casually, not seeking to outright _state_ she was trying to test if he found her attractive, though the answer to that was easily revealed at least to Urabe who noticed Garma blush when Kinue leaned over his desk a bit to hand him some documents, "I know I'm not your secretary, but I managed to get your amended schedule for today from Terry."

In an attempt to distract himself Garma readily latches his sight onto something other than Kinue, focusing intently on the papers he has been handed rather than the valley he had been privy to a moment before, "Amended?"

"It appears that the Federation officials you were going to meet have decided against doing so. Chances are they've seen the recent attempts on your life and..."

She did not have to finish for Garma to realize what the implications were of what has happened here, prompting him to joke darkly at his own expense, "A deal made with me may hold no water should I die. The military and the civilian government are both separate and intertwined, but I wish they could make up their mind if they want to surrender or if they want to keep this fighting going. I was hoping to get that out of the way first today, but now I have to wait on things to be reorganized and reanalyzed before I make my next move..."

"Well, if you want to talk to someone from the Federation today, they just opened up my schedule at the same time as you. I don't have to cover the meeting now," Kinue offered, seeming to have grown a bit more confident in her attraction to Garma now that he was spending his time with her at nights.

"Perhaps, though I just noticed how quiet it is in here this morning. Urabe, where are Emmerich and Hiyento?"

Amir would not generally make things louder on his own, but Emmerich being here _with_ Amir would since it would give Emmerich someone his rank to talk to when possible.

"That may have something to do with your adjusted sleep schedule, sir, with you arriving here before even me with an actual home-cooked breakfast in hand," Urabe noted, prompting the other two present to avert their eyes since there was an implication behind his words...which was entirely the point, not that he would say so aloud, "Hiyento does not have to be here officially for two more minutes, while Emmerich managed to somehow get his schedule altered at the last minute."

That Rakshata could somehow arrange for Emmerich to be off-duty this morning confused Garma, "How?"

"I think Rakshata called in a favor. She's helping him work on his Zaku and upgrade it," Urabe explains simply, thinking nothing of it.

"... _why?_ "

"I think she's mad at me and so she's making a show of taking one of my soldiers from me and making him do menial labor," "I have arranged for a replacement in the meantime who can stand outside while we tend to the _important_ business in here like chatting."

Garma sighed as he came to the realization that his early arrival took care of most of his day's paperwork and that the meetings he had planned were canceled, leaving him with nothing to do in particular until he could have his schedule re-arranged. It was an important thing what he did moment to moment most days since he was such a high-profile person, but there were sometimes when having to have everything planned out ahead of time and scheduled could cause problems rather than be helpful.

"Well, what do you wish to do now that time has freed itself up for us?" the young prince eventually asked as he came to understand that he had 'free time' for the moment.

"Chess?" Kinue suggested politely, obviously intent on doing something she could spend time with Garma on as well as something which would allow her to get him to self-improve.

"Hardly productive," Garma grimaced back as he was reminded of all the times he has lost to her...basically every time they have played in fact.

"You know the deal. Every time I beat you, you need to read another book to improve your knowledge of military strategy. I don't care if you got top marks in the academy, you still have to keep your mind sharp."

Urabe agreed with the concept, though he found it sweet that she was so worried about Garma that she wanted him to be as smart as possible so he could do better on the battlefield so he would not die. As such the bodyguard came to agree with the suggestion, "Expanding your mind wouldn't be a bad way to spend this time, sir. There is a lot you can read still, as there are countless books on military history and strategy."

Garma gave his guard a displeased look as he realized that Urabe was presuming from the onset that he would lose, "That is assuming I lose."

"You will, sir."

"Thank you for your vote of confidence..."

Urabe just grins as he sets up the board, perfectly content to let the two others present here so early in the morning play their games since seeing his boss actually be _happy_ for once was worth some occasional time spent playing chess or talking. For the fish-out-of-water reporter it was helpful as well he felt, as instead of being an outsider Kinue too was able to make friends, and so while some might consider it time wasted Urabe instead felt that it was anything but that.

He did have to wonder though what Garma would ask for if he won, but then again he never did, so what would it really matter anyways? So long as it gave them an excuse to spend time together and interact like regular Human beings for once it was a successful endeavor in his books.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but I think I know how to get back into writing updates! The trick is to do smaller ones, as this was easy to put together, but the few times I tried to put together this as well as what will be the next update I kept getting stuck partway through and then through various means lost the update causing me to have to rewrite it multiple times.**

 **Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you enjoyed and will let me know your thoughts in the reviews below! Expect weekly updates now, and hopefully you all can forgive my hiatus and we can pick things right back up where we left off.**


	25. King Takes Queen

The guards under Garma's employ were given some time off every week just for their own good and so they would be better rested for when they _were_ on duty, so when the afternoon came around and Amir found himself without actual duties he was left with the question of just what he should do. With Amir not being much of an outside the box kind of thinker, he decided to handle his free time issue by spending it with some of the only people he knew: his boss and entourage. Emmerich was busy being Rakshata's henchman for the day so he was not available at the time, so Amir found himself heading to go on unofficial duty born from a lack of ideas of what else to do with his time. Earth was a new environment for him, sure, but he was not exactly the most adventurous of people and so just strolling around the outside wilderness was not appealing.

What he would find soon in his boss's office however _was_ quite amusing to Amir though...even if it meant Emmerich won a bet.

If he had to guess, Urabe probably forgot he was off today so to politely announce his arrival Amir knocks on the door rather than just entering and causing a scene, resulting in Garma yelling across the room for him to come in.

Upon entering, Amir noticed Urabe standing by the doorway with an amused expression hanging on his face as the lanky guard captain watched the other two present in the room. Garma was across from Kinue at his chess table, and in his lap was a book with chess pieces illustrated on it in a seeming attempt for the young heir to find _some_ way to win once and for all. He appeared exasperated as he began to flip through its pages, and a simple look at the board would reveal why: he was going to lose in a turn unless he decided to purposefully sacrifice some of his pieces.

After some time thinking in frustration, Garma knocks over his king in surrender. It was a character flaw of sorts for him to be unable to bring himself to sacrifice his pieces, a vital part in playing chess, but it was part in parcel to the gentle nature that his father cared so deeply for in him. He could accept unfortunately losing soldiers and forces, but losing them _on purpose_ was something Garma was not fond of...he was not the sort of commander who would use a squad of his to bait in the enemy, leaving those allies to die so as to gain a strategic advantage, and in a sense that made his tactics predictable since he dealt with things head-on. Garma would carry out those tactics and strategies as best as he could, but it inherently tied a hand behind his back and prevented him from being on the same level of warfare genius that Gihren demonstrated.

Having lost, Garma sighed as he came to release his mounting frustration over being unable to win this game without adopting strategies he hated in real life. This done, he looks up at the new arrival to the room while Kinue quietly began to set up the table again after she finished tallying the win on a piece of paper she had at her side on a notepad that ought to be used for official business but currently had no other purpose but to serve as a part of their game.

"Is there anything you need?"

"No Sir, I don't mean to intrude but I have a spare afternoon and figured I'd stop by," Amir responded with a smile, a show of warmth from a usually frigid man given his care for his leader, "I didn't know there would be a show awaiting me."

Garma could only roll his eyes in response to that, "I'm still no good at this game. I don't know what Gihren and Kycilia ever saw in it, especially since he always won...I can't tell if his 240 IQ is propaganda or real half the time."

His statement brings Kinue to purse her lips and hands a book over the table to Garma, which he silently added to a growing pile beside him of books he would have to read, "I don't know Garma, maybe someone more caring could have already won the war. You controlled space eight months ago with no competition, now even that is becoming a battlefield once again. You sure they didn't mistakenly added a zero to the end of that number?"

Amir held back most of a smile at Kinue's joke, not being a fan of Gihren...in fact being quite the opposite of one. Urabe for his part did his best to not laugh at her joke while Garma simply shook his head and gestured to the board as he 'overlooks' Kinue's statement about his elder brother, "Feel free to amuse yourself and watch, Hiyento. I am quite sure I can win for the first time today with the help of this book I liberated from Gihren's study."

"I would love to watch. Maybe I could learn a thing or two," Amir said back as he took a position nearby Urabe to get a good look at the board.

When the game begins Garma pours over his book on chess for an opening move, this act prompting all the others present to roll their eyes but they each let it go without comment. As Garma always plays as the white pieces he is always the one to go first given that they are the starting color, though this had the side-effect of Kinue being left to read one of his many military texts while her opponent struggles to decide what he will do as his first move in the game.

After yet another loss without anyone saying a word Kinue sets the board up again, now speaking in a supportive manner as she smiles over at Garma who was trying to figure out where his opening gambit went wrong.

"Well, if this is going to be a lesson, I suppose I ought to explain the very first rule of winning at chess: thinking of the bigger picture."

This time Garma decides to go with one of the most basic opening maneuvers in the game, trying a more simple and direct approach which Amir could appreciate while also trying not to look at Gihren's book now out of pride. Said pride also had him speak somewhat indignantly in response to Kinue's statement, his return showing that he was sick of losing every single time they played while also now being lightly lectured to.

"I can see the bigger picture just fine, thank you."

A moment passes in silent before Garma adds with a nervous glance aside, as if he realized he had been short with one of the only people he genuinely considered a friend just out of his frustration at always losing a game.

"...I apologize if I was terse."

Kinue grinned back at him in return, as if she was relieved that he calmed down in spite of the initial outburst, "It's okay Garma...but I mean it when I say you need to take a look at the big picture. You may see it, but you certainly have a problem carrying it out," she moved one of her pawns to move as she continued to speak, "Chess isn't real war Garma, people are not dying when you sacrifice a piece...it is a big enough problem in your _real_ tactics that you are not willing to play the same games your opponents will. Sometimes you just have to accept that people will die in war, and sometimes you have to sacrifice something less valuable for something of greater importance. A pawn for a rook, a tank for a Zaku."

Zeon's beloved prince could do little but grunt as he made a move and gestured for Kinue to do the same, unable to find any non-emotional flaws in her statement.

While they continue the game Amir turned to Urabe to speak in a whispered tone so as to not distract the players. "How long has this been going on for?"

"On and off all day... Garma's persistent even if he is horrible at it," Urabe whispered back, "He has lost seven times already, going on eight in a few moments. Can you believe he hasn't won _once_ ever since they started playing?"

The ones being spoken of were none the wiser about what was being said over by the door and so they continued along with their game without interruption. After a few moves Garma had already been backed into a corner where he would have to move his knight or rook in front of his king to prevent it from being in check. Once again in a position he reviled, Garma started to desperately find a way out of it that does not require any sacrifice via Gihren's book but it was obvious to all that it was a futile endeavor.

"Come on Garma, you know you have to move one of your pieces. If it makes you feel any better, it will end in an equal trade roughly," Kinue taunted playfully, "It's the very foundation of the game. Of war itself. You can't win with zero casualties every time."

He remained silent as he hovered his hand over his pieces, contemplating every move available to him on the board rather than admitting she was right. To counter the silence, the more realistic Kinue decided to drive her point home with a continuation of her 'lesson'.

"Honestly Garma, what would you sacrifice for your goals?" Her hand picked up an already taken pawn gently, "Everyday soldiers?"

"I...I get it, but..." Garma frowned, agreeing with her in principle but not being happy about it. He never was the cutthroat sort who liked thinking along those lines like Gihren or Char...he could get himself into honorable combat because he had a somewhat romanticized worldview that held such an activity in high esteem, but that very worldview was unsuited to reality at times and had a weakness when faced with the cunning of others willing to exploit it.

Lesson not over, Kinue placed the pawn down and instead held up a rook for Garma to see, "Emmerich? Hiyento?" Kinue put the rook down so she could next take one of the knights on the board to continue her analogy, "Urabe?"

Garma remains silent, his countenance shifting into a neutral state as he began to think things over. After a moment of silence, Kinue placed the knight back down and picked up the next piece on the board, the bishop. With it held out to him she came to frown in place of the one he had just lost, as if she was somewhat hesitant to ask and worried to hear the answer but felt the need to say it anyways, "Would you throw my life away if it served you in the long run?"

The question caused Garma to shift uncomfortably in his chair, obviously put off by it and its implications and prompting him to balk, "What kind of question is that?"

Kinue shrugged in return while sitting a bit more upright, "An honest one?" she pauses when Garma's grimace returns to match her own, at which point Kinue prompts him again with a direct and serious tone as her eyes shine with renewed determination, "So, what's your answer? What would you give to make Zeon's ideals become a reality? What are you unwilling to sacrifice? That is what can either empower or restrain you. That is how Gihren has deposed your father in everything but title. He will give anything for his selfish ideals. Will you do everything you can for your noble ones?"

Garma crossed his arms in a thoughtful stance while his smile returns in a bittersweet reprise, his eyes resting on the board as he finally figures out his next 'move' in the game, "Still, I won't have anyone die if I can help it. Not if there is anything in my power to prevent that."

And so he tips his king over again, forfeiting yet another match. His idealism prompts Kinue to smile sadly, as it was both what made him such an inspiring figure given his uncompromising kindness, but it also impacted his judgments and stood in the way of the goals he sought.

After some silence, Garma ended up as the one to pick up a piece to show off, though first he held it clasped in his palm. A smug smirk tugs at his face when he speaks again, as if he was trying to lighten things up a bit with some levity, "On another note, Ms. Crossroad, you're more important than a bishop. "

Kinue hesitantly raises an eyebrow at the prince, not exactly sure where he was going with this, "Oh?"

"Zeonic support here on Earth is rising like wildfire thanks to your efforts. Not only here, but on the colonies as well," Garma notes warmly, obviously beaming about what she has done for their cause.

With this said, Garma opens his palm to reveal the queen piece.

The reveal of which piece he associated with her surprised Kinue, who hadn't checked the board to see which one he had taken. The reporter blushed briefly before putting on a smug grin of her own to play it off as simply a joke, "Good thing you're too bold to be the king piece, or else I might consider that flirting."

Oblivious to the change in her heart-rate, Garma calls back to the phrasing of her question, "Consider that my own honesty. I give credit where it is due."

Kinue wordlessly passed him a book over the table to add to his increasing pile, prompting Garma to laugh at his own misfortune of how he will be spending the many nights to come reading dusty old tome after dusty old tome...not much had been wrote in recent years on warfare, so ancient books were far more numerous than modern ones.

After some contemplation of his fate Garma speaks again, this time with a question rather than with a joke.

"Can we renegotiate our deal?"

Off to the side Amir and Urabe were each listening in quite intently, curious to see where this was going to go...especially given that Garma's face telegraphed completely that whatever Garma had on his mind he thought it was clever.

"What part?" Kinue said back, again not sure where Garma was going with this but this time it was more out of her frustration that Garma was going to try and weasel out of reading some of the books.

Given her agreement to discuss the subject, Garma decides to speak his idea to her, one born of recent discussions about the prizes resulting from the chess games...specifically that Kinue had an incentive to win while Garma had none other than his own pride.

"This whole time I did not have a prize for actually winning other than my pride. Now, if I win, you have to be my company for dinner tonight, and I can put off these boring books until tomorrow. It would be good to get my media expert and close associate better after all," Garma explains to Kinue while placing his queen back, the prince being the one to set the board this time before then extending a hand to Kinue to shake on the new arrangement, "Deal?"

As she took the hand to shake, Kinue keeps her face composed, not revealing any emotional response to what he said, "Deal."

One moment they were shaking their hands to solidify the arrangement, and in the next Kinue was tipping her king piece over to forfeit before Garma could even take his first move.

With a monotone voice Kinue speaks to the dumbfounded Garma who was left confused about why she just instantly gave up, "Oh look, you won. Whatever am I going to do?"

Garma was left speechless by the fact that she just surrendered to him, the boldness of the maneuver leaving him wondering what was going on, "Wait, what just happened?"

Kinue lost the monotone and came to grin at him, throwing in a playful wink as well just to tease Garma, "When and where I think are the better questions?"

Now confused and blushing as he began to pick up on the fact that Kinue quite obviously wanted to go on a date with him, Garma stutters until Kinue cuts him off, "What?" she pauses, seemingly confused by how confused he was, "You _seriously_ haven't noticed?"

"I—" Garma's blush was like a young schoolboy unsure of how to deal with affection, the prince being completely blindsided by her apparent affection, "Ummm..."

Across the room Urabe began to laugh uncontrollably to the point he requires the wall behind him for support, only to soon be joined by his off-duty subordinate as well who was fortunately able to control it better than his staggering Captain. Other than his laughter however Amir remained speechless, eager to see what would happen next.

"I'll tell you now, I don't have any dresses, so nothing too nice."

Garma averted his eyes to the ground and lets out a nervous laugh, "I'll see what I can put together."

With her shot at actually being with Garma seemingly secured, Kinue turns to the laughing guards with a scowl to address the hyenas in the room, "What's so funny?"

Amir continues laughing, but slowly restores himself while ignoring the question, and Urabe was simply unable to compose himself well enough to say something either. With the guards indisposed, Garma stands up from his own seat and grips the bridge of his nose, "Oh never mind them. They are usually too stoic, so I'll let them have this humiliating moment of me since no-one else is here..." Garma turns to the laughing guards, "You two are dismissed. Kinue and I will be discussing this matter in private."

Urabe gets up, nods and salutes, then brings an arm around Amir to lead him out the door while Amir salutes the Captain as well. With only the two of them left, Garma nervously looks down at the chess board rather than at his media assistant who so eagerly leapt on the chance to spend time with him that it was quite obvious to even him that she was harboring feelings for him.

"Kinue, I..."

Hearing the hesitation in his tone takes a good deal of the excitement out of Kinue, who realizes what he wanted to say but couldn't.

"Were you hoping for a more...platonic dinner?"

"...yes."

Now royally embarrassed, Kinue tries to look away from Garma to hide the fact that she sort of jumped the gun about his intentions, "I'm sorry, I..."

A moment afterwards she found herself surprised by how fast Garma got up to touch her hand in an attempt to reassure her.

"Don't be."

Kinue's cheeks ran redder than even before as she looked down to how Garma was gingerly holding her hand and was telling her _not_ to feel bad about wanting to go on a romantic date with him. Put together...well it made it sound like with further thought perhaps _he_ wanted it as well.

"Kinue Crossroad, would you..." Garma chuckled briefly as he considers his words before looking up with a genuine smile at her which set Kinue's heart aflutter, "Would you do me the honor of lending me your company for dinner tonight? I have never been on a true _'date'_ given my aversion to those who just want to be around me for my status, but...I would be willing to try if you are."

Having already agreed to go on a date to him when she thought that was what he meant before, Kinue nods again and does her best to not short-circuit at the thought that the man she has been falling for these past months and now felt she was genuinely in love with was willing to go out with her even in spite of all their differences. Because all her brainpower was focused on not making a fool of herself Kinue expected herself to stammer if she spoke, so instead she gave Garma an affirmative nod to say 'Yes' before moving in to hug him which he returned in kind.

The kiss that followed was awkward as the two relationship-inept individuals pressed their lips together hesitantly, but the night would give them plenty of chances to gain more experience.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope you will let me know your thoughts in the reviews below! This is an update I have waited a long time to finish and always felt like I didn't do it enough justice, but I feel like I did it right this time so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.**


	26. Family Planning

Garma had experience with a great many social functions, having had to attend them ever since he was a young boy at the time of his family's rise to power. Some were simple, where he had to just accompany his family and do almost none of the talking while his elder siblings performed their roles as hosts or as officials depending on the stripe of event or as his father commanded the respect and attention of all present while giving some kind of impassioned speech. The times when he was on his own however were when he learned to deal with sycophants who either wanted something or simply believed the Zabi family to be as great as it was credited as...something Garma did his very best to confirm for them in whatever way he could, but it did not change the general behavior demonstrated.

The decade of doing this, of playing the part of an anachronistic prince in a modern age who valued tradition and romanticized ideals of his family, nation, and society as a whole did not prepare him for the relatively informal occasion of going on a date with someone. He could have practiced at any point, and in fact Dozle had been attempting for some time to find Garma a lover, but it never worked out. He was not one to resent dedication and attraction, as Garma himself admired his own looks and was prone to loyalty and care like many others were, but meeting with rich women never truly ended with him feeling like he could speak or act without certain pretenses. To them he was always the 'Prince', someone they revered as an idea more than as a person which meant Garma could not truly find someone he could see as a partner even though he did at least on some level try.

It was not as if he liked being lonely after all.

So dates were outside of his realm of experience, with the closest encounter he could recall being the time he spent at that gathering with the Federation turncoats and officials where he met Icelina Eschonbach...only for machinations of her father to cost her life that very day. She was from Earth and had little idea about what it actually meant to be a Zabi, likely never having watched the news in her life from what Garma picked up on, and so while they shared a mutual attraction it was nice to actually be able to just speak with someone with much of the edge and expectation removed from the equation...if not for her untimely death Garma may have considered asking her out on a date very much like this one, though it likely would have ended up being a fair bit more formal as it would have been between a prince and a noblewoman rather than between two coworkers who had their work-plans ruined for the day.

Thinking his military uniform to be too out of place for such a personal occasion as a first date with someone he already knew, Garma instead chose a much more 'casual' outfit of a white button down shirt with an accompanying navy blue blazer. From previous comments he knew that Kinue liked it when he wore blue, so while it was a bit dark as far as blues go it would still meet the overall criteria for what she liked. To round out the look Garma wore a tan set of dress slacks, similar in color to Kinue's own usual legwear though that was more by chance than intentional matching clothes: most dress pants came in either navy blue or a light tan, so since Garma did not want to wear dark pants with his dark jacket on this occasion it left him with the tan.

Getting physically ready for it was not nearly as difficult as actually planning out the event, as brushing aside the logistics of having soldiers follow him for his own safety and coordinating with Urabe to assure things went without incident there still was the issue of where. Garma had already eaten at her house, so simply dining in felt a bit odd...but he also did not want to take her somewhere extremely fancy, even though the nearest major town to the military base had a fair assortment of restaurants which might be considered as such. It didn't fit her personality to go somewhere like that, and any old bar would not work either as not only was it outside of Garma's personal tastes it was perhaps an insult to his date...so in the end Garma looked into middle-tier restaurants, of which there were surprisingly few these days.

Eventually Garma found one he found permissible given its family setting and casual atmosphere, not to mention him having heard from Kinue on a previous occasion that part of her ancestry came from here in America given that she was Japanese-American. He also recalled that the American part was Italian-American, so his choice of location was even more fitting he felt given that it was an Italian restaurant...a Japanese Sushi restaurant also had been available, but this felt like it was a little less on the profiling side especially since Garma had not actually seen Kinue eating what would be considered Japanese food. Sure, he had only been sharing meals with her for a couple days now, but he had not run into sushi at her house even though she could try and buy it.

In fact the only standout thing about her eating habits he had noticed was the fact that she drank from water bottles almost exclusively. An odd thing, but Garma figured that with how contaminated various water sources must be around the world by now that drinking processed water might actually be the right call, if a bit on the expensive end for her otherwise frugal living style.

When the plans were set and everyone ready, Garma traveled incognito to the location so as to not draw attention to himself...after all even he deserved a quiet evening 'alone' in public for once as compared to the times he was swarmed with adoring fans or, on occasion on Earth, rabid Zeon haters who made him feel guilty when his guards had to use physical force against though it being a necessary part of life as their conqueror helped curb some of the doubts. He just wanted to focus on this moment he had with someone he cared for, and other distractions could be left alone for now.

Kinue had implied at the office that she had feelings for him for some time now, and the kiss they shared confirmed it...as did the time they spent in one another's arms afterwards once they were left alone. Nothing more physical had come of it, but it had been quite the wakeup call to Garma that beside him he had a woman who he not only respected but who loved him...and that he too held some form of affection for her, especially after the time he spent recently at her home.

Garma had already cared for her in a platonic sense, as she had been supporting him since the beginning of the Earth invasion, offering her skills and support each step of the way even if she had some reservations about the team she was forced to play for. With her affection now revealed it made sense why she could stomach working with Zeon as she did: she was supporting him and believed in him, not Zeon itself...she was a democrat through and through, and while Garma truly did believe in his family's method of rulership he was not offended by the alternate mindset. After all, his father did allow his citizens to elect a prime minister and certain other officials to represent them, so Zeon was not without its own democratic trappings and Garma was raised to believe wholly in what his father had created.

Recently Gihren had been taking more and more control within Zeon, consolidating it all on himself while stripping it from every other entity, so on perhaps one front Garma could actually sympathize with his upcoming date's views...that was too much power for one person, and it should be spread out a bit more, even if the degree to which it should be would be a point of contention.

At this point Garma arrived at the flower shop he had his secretary, Terry, who had been assigned to the position thanks to his name, call beforehand and make arrangements. Garma was no stranger to flowers thanks to the time he spent at the one Cecilia worked at years ago whenever Gihren would visit her there before her own eventual role as Gihren's secretary...and likely secret lover and mother of his children, though Garma only heard whispers to that degree and something about a 'Glemmy' whatever that was. Because of what he had learned from Cecilia back when he was still a young child and she was a kind woman, Garma had arranged to purchase a specific type of flower...he would have gotten an entire assortment, but that would have to wait for another time since the war-torn region of America he was in was not exactly filled to the brim with plantlife anymore and the flower shop only had so many. A less ravaged nation like Japan might have luckier botanists, but only so much could be done given the circumstances and so Japanese Honeysuckles alone it was.

As much as he tried not to, the socially devoid Garma felt self-conscious as he approached the location of his first date with flower bouquet in hand. He wanted to do this 'right', as he was very unlike his eldest brother if the rumors about him were true. This was not some ball where Garma could simply dance and speak superficially, nor was it a time for him to use flowery language and poetic phrases...this was an adapting form of hanging out with one of the people he considered a friend, with obvious intimate overtones replacing the more platonic ones he had grown used to.

He would do this right however...but part of that meant admitting to Kinue that if he was going to share his affections with her that it was not just some kind of game. He could have dated any number of women if he just wanted the fun of it...he wanted a partner, someone he could spend his life with, to have by his side and raise a family together with. He had to give it some thought after she revealed her affections, but had quickly come to realize that he was perfectly fine with the life he had whenever he spent it at her home and that he could go home to that for the rest of his life without ever having a regret. After all, it reminded him of the family life he once had before the Zabis rose to power, and so to be with someone who could give him that feeling again was something Garma cherished.

He just had to hope her affection for him was great enough to agree to a courtship styled relationship...one where dating led into engagement into marriage, not simply dating for dating's own sake.

All of these things and many more on his mind, Garma opened the door to the restaurant and prepared himself for this new experience...one he truly hoped would go well, even if he had to make special arrangements to make sure no-one would be around to recognize him and to make sure the restaurant's staff would not say a word of this private dinner that could be considered scandalous by many and unethical by others.

Of course Kinue had arrived earlier than Garma, not having had to toil over the behind-the-scenes aspects as much as he had nor gone to get her data flowers...she had brought a small gift for him, but she was just as out of her depth as Garma was and so had shown up in the least worn-out set of her everyday light-blue, darker-blue, and tan outfit just as herself without any further pretenses. Her mind had been racing with the possibilities of the date, if Garma would actually wish to move things forward, and just where they could go from here...everything ranging from being unable to interact as a couple in public to a shotgun marriage was possible, so while she tried to retain some composure she was actually as nervous as Garma since their relationship meant more to her career than it did to Garma for his.

After all, it was one thing to cover someone you were in love with...it was another to cover someone you were in a relationship with. Someone who you could be promising to marry and have children with. That kind of threw objectivity out of the window, even as hard as she tried to remain exactly that. So as happy as she was that her more forward approach had resulted in getting to have a chance at a relationship with Garma, she had some apprehension and tension formed from the very same prospect since it ran counter to her own personal goals and dreams she once held.

Seeing Garma come in with a bouquet made it suddenly all that much more real, showing that while Garma initially had meant to have a more platonic dinner he now was quite fine with having changed it into a more romantic affair.

"Oh Garma, you didn't have to…"

Still nervous just as she was, Garma awkwardly presented her them as he sat down across from her in the comfortably sized restaurant that was absent of any people other than the staff. They had their own special table set up, and the restaurant's staff had decided to leave a candle burning at the table for the atmosphere in the early evening. Garma had no idea if flowers were actually appropriate, but he felt better giving her them than showing up empty handed.

"They are Japanese Honeysuckles...according to a botanist I know they symbolize 'devoted affection', and…well..."

Garma struggled with his words thanks to nervousness being mixed with dodging around the fact he learned this from Gihren of all people, just as he had learned the basics of chess from his older brother...a person the woman sitting across from him did not hide any contempt for, and so Garma did not want to ruin the evening by making things about Gihren. Still, the information came from him so he was in the back of Garma's mind as Garma tried and was failing to look up at Kinue in the eye.

"Fortunately I have some vases for them back home," Kinue said as she accepted the gift, her face as red as Garma's. She gingerly handled the gift and cradled it to herself for a moment to smell the flowers, the scent of lavender gracing the overall package thanks to Garma's own scent, Kinue recognizing it thanks to it being a scent she occasionally used herself. As she went about finding the flowers a proper home for the remainder of the dinner, Kinue tried to fight her deep blush and calm down so she could speak without stammering like a the lovestruck fool she felt she was, "Thank you, Garma."

"It's nothing," Garma lied, still finding it hard to actually meet her gaze as he finished settling in. It was obviously more than nothing, as shown by the symbolism he had noted himself in his awkward attempt to explain his action, but to outright admit that felt difficult.

It was around this time that they were visited by the waiter for the evening, a prim and proper man who dressed in a formal uniform that seemed to get some use which showed that it was his regular attire rather than simply an attempt to dress-up in front of the important heir who was visiting today. After Kinue ordered water with lemon and Garma ordered a glass of wine the young couple shared a blush when they came to realize their orders did not exactly match...when the waiter left to go fetch the drinks asked for Garma awkwardly posed a question that formed from the moment.

"You don't have to worry about ordering anything expensive, Kinue. I already have paid for everything upfront…"

"It may be cheap, but it's healthy...and thank you, Garma, but I insist on paying for my part. I'm just happy to be here, so I don't want to take advantage of your generosity."

As old-fashioned as he had been raised to be, Garma wanted to balk at the idea of allowing his date to pay for their meal and he only avoided doing so to avoid being rude. Still, he appreciated the thought...and if she was the sort who just took it for granted that he would pay for everything he wouldn't be interested in her. Instead she was an independent person who had buckled down and worked hard all her life to provide for herself and her brother, and so not paying her part in something was foreign to her since she was not some heiress who had lived in the lap of luxury.

Garma found a gentler way of turning down her fair offer than to scoff at it, instead smiling at her and reaching a hand across the table to take hers in his own, "I am sure you have made enough to do so, but please, let me. Think of it as my thanks for...well, everything."

That too was a somewhat of a lie, in that Garma never intended to let her pay for a date of theirs if he could so help it, but it was born of the truth that this all was thanks to the appreciation he held for his media adviser. He wanted to spoil her if she was going to be his...well, 'lover' sounded too scandalous but fit the general idea.

Realizing she was not going to win this fight, Kinue conceded on it while agreeing at least with Garma that she could pay for it but was simply allowing him to treat her, "Kycilia has been generous in what she has paid me, though I admit I have set most of it aside...college is not cheap, and my brother can't really make ends meet as a pizza delivery man while he is also working on his studies."

As she spoke she let her hand be held by Garma's, even holding it back in return to show a small degree of intimacy across the table without saying or doing too much. Now that the cat was out of the bag, both of them were finding themselves more comfortable with the idea of actually being together...Kinue lowering her apprehensions about her work while Garma was quelling his doubts about what his family might think of him possessing a Federation-born fiance, all because the two genuinely cared for one another in their own way.

Her response actually surprised Garma: even though she had no idea if she would even see her brother again, she had still set aside nearly all of her earnings for his sake? Garma found himself smiling and finally able to look up at her again, proud that he knew someone whose familial loyalty was similar to his own, "You really care for him. I'm glad my family and I are not the only ones who value our kin."

"It's actually something I really like about you all. Even if you sometimes have your differences, I can tell that even Kycilia cares a lot for you all," Kinue noted as she smiled to him, "You may be titans among men, but you're all still people, and you're a family."

The comment would go unanswered by Garma as it was then that their waiter returned with their refreshments, prompting the couple to accept them and to also go and place their order as well. To play with Garma's intention to pay for her meal, Kinue asks him to order for her based on what he thinks is good, paving way for him to order for his date to complete the picture. The playful submission leaves Garma a little surprised, but rather than blush and admit it in front of the waiter he actually goes ahead and orders for them both some locally sourced seafood pasta.

The wink he had received made him confident in ordering for her and so Garma felt confident in his selection as he made it, and the pleased smile on Kinue's face following it helped reassure him. Next door was a fish shop which the restaurant was able to obtain fresh selections of food, so rather than more manufactured goods like what was available these days with the war ravaging the landscape. Because of this the seafood likely was the best meal available on the menu, and so it was an easy selection to make.

With the order taken the waiter left the couple be, who segued into smalltalk about the coming food given that neither of them knew exactly what to say...but eventually that gave way to Garma noting that his family couldn't have fish related products when he was young, to which Kinue responded that her father loved preparing it for her and Saji since it was not that hard to cook and he was always so busy. Out of curiosity Garma asked more about her father, and that brought Kinue to silence as she tried to think of how to speak more of the deceased man she tried to emulate.

"Kinue, you don't have to...I just was curious what the man you look up to was like, so I apologize if I overstepped my boundaries."

Rather than take offense to being asked about her dead father Kinue let out a small sigh and came to smile, "It's okay Garma, I just was thinking...there is so much I could say, but finding what I should say is what's difficult. He was a good man, and every day I hope I can live up to his legacy...Kenshin Crossroad, the famous independent reporter who worked with JNN to uncover political corruption, corporate fraud, and broke many important stories to the public so that they could know the truth."

They way she spoke of him reminded Garma of himself whenever he was asked to speak about his own father, as while Degwin Zabi was very much alive he was still at times a distant figure that was hard to live up to given the wealth of accomplishments he possessed...Kinue was not quite so different from Garma himself in seeking some kind of respect for her work and efforts even if they were in the shadow of a great man.

Garma respected her, enjoyed her company, considered Kinue one of his few friends, could empathize with her family oriented mindset, and he found her to be an attractive woman even if she was not the typical idea of 'beautiful'...she had a sort of sweet 'girl-next-door' quality to her appearance that was a refreshing change when placed up against the sea of brainless beauties he has dealt with and which some considered him to be. To have a woman who was intelligent, competent, driven, and beautiful be in love with him was...well, it was humbling in a sense since it was so different from the blind affection he was used to. It was love born of who he was, not what he was, and so being subjected to it made Garma feel a sort of relief he was not at all used to...and made him realize how deep his own affections for his 'subordinate' have grown with time.

"He sounds like he was a good man...and you are quite the woman trying to fill the shoes he left behind. I am certain your father would be proud of you...you truly are a beautiful woman, inside and out, Kinue."

"T-thank you…"

She was blushing, still not used to receiving compliments about her looks it would seem, but Garma intended to make her well used to such statements...so long as she would allow him in the years to come.

"Kinue, if you don't mind, I would like to get something off my chest: I am no fan of 'casual dating'...I don't want to date just for the experience itself, I see dating as a step in the process to perhaps one day having a life-long partner. If we are going to do this, then…"

The reporter picked up on what he was saying given the clues he had managed to convey, and so Kinue recovered from her meek embarrassment to respond to him with a normal expression upon her face in the place of her blushing face.

"You want to make sure I would be okay with maybe getting engaged at some point and then being your wife someday, and if I wouldn't mind having a family with you."

It was simple, and she understood the concerns completely given Garma's status and position, not to mention his personality and preferences. That Kinue was not shocked over the matter pleased Garma, who felt much less awkward bringing up the subject of future marriage now even though it was just a stated intention...that by accepting this date idea with her that he was looking forward to the future, not just to enjoying an afternoon.

"It is a relief that you understand."

That still left the matter of whether she would accept the proposition of treating this like an old-fashioned courtship...one where so long as things progressed without incident would result in marriage and the whole nine yards associated with it.

The small smile on her face as she takes his hand in her own told Garma what he was looking for even before Kinue put it to words, the quiet support evident in her body language serving as the answer itself.

"Of course, Garma. I may not be a prince, but in regards to relationships I am the same way...that is why even in what little free time I had I didn't look for boyfriends. If I am going to be in a relationship I want it to be a serious one…so yes, I am willing to take this just as seriously as you."

That was a relief to Garma, who was worried that if he indulged in his growing attraction to her that he may end up having his heart broken...but at the same time it was not the last hurdle in the way of the relationship working, and Garma did not want to date her on false pretenses or by ignoring the reality which surrounded them. He respected her too much to do that, and so he gave her a concerned look while thinking of her living family.

"Even if it means you might not be able to ever return to the Federation?"

The answer to this was unfortunately in some ways expected, in that there was still obvious and open wounds concerning the matter but it was too important to simply gloss over. Garma had heard that you were not supposed to talk about politics and other heavy subjects on a first date, but seeing as they were a prerequisite of this relationship even existing he felt he had to.

"If I am honest, I am not sure I could at this point even if I wanted to...all I have left there is Saji, and the Federation won't take me back on his behalf..."

To simply let her stay in such a sad state felt wrong, and so Garma set about holding her one hand in both of his and looking into the earthy brown orbs that were her eyes, "I'm sorry Kinue."

Kinue responded in return by bringing her own spare hand to rest atop Garma's own, a sad but genuine smile gracing her lips.

"You don't need to be sorry...it's not your fault I am where I am today. Months ago I never would have expected to be here...it took nearly dying for me to wake up and learn to live my life in some ways, and so as much as I wish I could have my old life back I do not regret what I have gained...just what I've lost."

Touching him, feeling Garma's skin and being able to engage with him in this intimate manner without him recoiling or laughing at her...he initiated contact and was showing the same care for her that Kinue held for him was almost out of one of the dreams that have begun to plague her as of recently that would wake her at night.

The difference however was that now it was real, and for that she was forever grateful, just as she was of the good people she has met in her time with Zeon. While her opinions on the nation itself were unchanged, that did not mean that there were not real Human beings with their own lives, friends, and families comprising it who all happily

"Even if I could return to the Federation, I wouldn't want to unless I could go back with you. With Urabe, Amir, and Emmerich. You're all a part of my life now and I owe you all so much for taking me in when I had nowhere else to go."

Her feelings were genuine, that much Garma could tell, and while what she said surprised him it seemed to fall in line with what he had experienced with her by his side...but even so the fact that by showing her kindness he had earned her love was of an even greater surprise to him, as Garma had simply been taught to treat others with that very attitude so it did not feel out of place to him.

"I believe I understand…though, if you don't mind me asking, why…"

'Why do you love me?' is what he wanted to say, but he too was flustered to do so. Coming out and saying something like that to what earlier that day had simply been a friend just felt far more awkward than he could grapple with.

Kinue closed her eyes and let out a soft breath before she decided to answer Garma's question, albeit in a roundabout way, "As much as I am settling in here, I don't really have too many friends, and the few I had before all this either abandoned me when I was ostracized at JNN, or were too far away to contact when I was forced to join Zeon."

This said, she looked up at Garma softly, "You treated me kindly when I was at my lowest. People were willing to kill me over my work, and I wasn't able to go home anymore," she brushed some stray hair out of her face as a blush grew on her face and a mounting embarrassment prompted her to look down and away, "You and the others helped me feel like I still had a purpose though. That even if I couldn't go back, I could still follow the path my father lead and try to help others through the truth."

"And, if I'm to be honest, you remind me of my brother in a way..." a sigh of hers turned into a laugh at the end of her next statement, "You're both too kind, perhaps naive at times, but you both have gentle souls...though I bet that quack doctor Freud would get a kick out of that..."

"If I must be honest, you are like my sister, so I cannot complain about the allusion…" Garma noted wryly, well aware of how each of them formed the opposite half of the same family dynamic. He was somewhat taken aback by all she said though, as simply being appreciated for kindness was the opposite of his later upbringing by his family and by the military when Kycilia or his instructors instilled a harder discipline upon him and castigated such softness.

While Garma sat and contemplated the fact that someone was in love with him as a person and not as the son of Degwin Zabi, Kinue sat back in her chair to bring herself into a more 'proper' pose and brought her hands back as well, "So, back to what you were saying before...what would you expect from a hypothetical wife? It might be nice to know so I can make an informed decision like you want."

That was a good question, Garma reckoned, but he did not have a very precise idea in his mind based off his beliefs and upbringing so generalities would have to do.

"Love and affection are two obvious criteria, but given my station they would have to be someone who could maintain the Zabi family image."

He tried picturing Kinue in dresses the way Zenna wore them...she could he felt, but it didn't seem natural to her, so it would have to be a learned skill. Learning how to act properly at public events and be a hostess would also be important skills for the reporter to learn that he was quite certain she was lacking in...but he had faith that someone as intelligent as her could pick it up with the right motivation and effort, and if being his wife was the impetus behind both of those things then that was fine in his books.

There was also the matter of love, which was a given to Garma even if it might not be to someone like Gihren...whatever genuine emotion once held between him and Cecilia had likely faded by now, though they were still fairly inseparable.

"I could try," Kinue noted dryly, though the smirk on her face told Garma that she knew like him that it would take some work. This said, Kinue waited for Garma to finish a sip from his wine to say the next part of her inquisition, "And what about children?"

That question was one Garma had in some ways expected and in some ways was worried about given that his personal ideal of having as many children as possible and having a large if not larger family than his father had might not mesh well with the desires of the woman he desired to have them with. He did not really know where Kinue stood on the issue of having children, but part of him was hoping the family focused woman would be amenable to the idea...it was not a dealbreaker, but it was something he wanted for himself one day.

"I have...had three brothers and a sister, so I have always wanted a family of my own where the children all have loving family members they can bond with the way I did with mine," Garma responds nervously, trying to ease Kinue into the concept of having a large family. After all, given the way biology worked, she would be the one doing the heavy lifting in that department should she agree...but a large family was a selfish desire he craved for anyways given his own childhood, "Gihren was not always the one leading Zeon into war, once upon a time he was the older brother picking me up from school. Dozle is, well, Dozle, and Kycilia…"

So, Kinue thought to herself, he wanted a large family...

"Okay."

Little deliberation was done at all on the matter, resulting in a confused Garma who was not put in the place of trying to defend what he thought she would have been bringing up in response.

"What about your career as a journalist?"

Kinue shrugged nonchalantly, having given up on the idea of a lasting career the moment she was forced to report on the side of a dictatorship led by a propaganda loving man known as Gihren Zabi, "I lost that when the Federation tried having me killed after they first forced JNN to fire me...at this point I may be reporting the news, but it is not exactly what I would call a normal career. My 'job' is whatever you and Kycilia wish at any given moment, so it is not exactly as severe a shift going from sort-of journalist to mother than it would be if I was still working normally."

What's more, she had to admit that she was quite okay with the idea of having children with the man she had fallen in love with these past months...if she was still hyper focused solely on her career the thought of children would not have likely taken up much time in her head, but right now she was living day to day with whatever life threw at her. As such Kinue was left more often than usual wondering what she wanted from life, and she now was being asked by the mans she loved to one day be the mother of his children. As a person, rather as _herself_ , the thought of living 'happily ever after' with Garma and raising a family sure was better than the ending she once had expected of herself...of laying facedown in an alley bleeding to death all alone.

Raising children with a lovely man, even if she didn't care for certain elements of his family and nation, definitely trumped that.

"So, if we make the decision to move forward...I don't have much objections. Raising an heir to an entire nation would be quite the important job anyways, and if it means having a family with the man I love…"

Hearing Kinue agree to his ideas about how he wanted his family to be gave Garma a great deal of relief, realizing that he has found a kindred spirit of sorts who sought to make him happy just as he desired to make her happy...and he genuinely hoped that she would find fulfillment in being a wife and mother. Zenna took to it so well, and so he hoped the same for what in some months may be his own fiance and then wife.

"That response alone eases any tensions or fears I may have had...thank you, Kinue."

Just to be certain, Kinue pressed him anyways even as she began to try and silence thoughts of Garma _getting_ her pregnant which was an obvious part to the equation, "Well, is there anything else?"

"Well...you are an honest woman whose integrity is not something I would question nor should it be...but if we are married, any further attacks on Gihren or against Zeon's policies will cause problems. I know you disagree with the Principality's politics, and my brother's steering thereof, but I am not certain you would be able to voice such opinions under the circumstances," Garma admitted, feeling a tinge of guilt that by marrying her one day that he would be forcing her to throw away some of the impartial judgment he respected her for.

"That is a problem…" Kinue agreed, though she was able to find a solution soon enough, "I think I would have to simply refrain from speaking publicly about them in such a situation. Focus on my support of you and the family we would have, that way I am still supporting the family but not directly lying to do so, which I am not certain I would be able to convincingly."

Garma frowned as he thought to what the inevitable public reception would be, "Some will call you a sell-out and traitor."

"Many already do, but they made that choice for me when they tried killing me for simply criticizing them," Kinue noted with some irritation, obviously displeased by the small-minded nature of those she was speaking of, "You and Zeon are my future, as much as I may not be a fan of dictatorships...and, should you be willing, I would bear the attacks from whatever critics I have if it means being by your side."

"Would you be okay with giving birth to children who may one day be Sovereign like my father?"

Having a family was one thing, but properly raising the children was another...and as much as Garma found himself enamored with Kinue, he had to admit that if she taught their hypothetical future children things like 'democracy is better than autocracy' like she believed herself then it could cause societal issues down the road...rebellion, in-fighting, you name it.

Still, after some moments of thought Kinue was able to eventually nod to the idea of bearing future dictators...so long as she could make them like _Garma_ and not _Gihren_ , "I would...if I could raise them to be as wise and benevolent as they could be I would be contributing far more to this world than I otherwise likely could. To ensure that the person who will rule over and influence the lives of billions does not become a tyrant and is as effective a leader as possible is an important role I would take seriously," smiling to herself, Kinue found that she was proud of how she managed to find a way to bring together her beliefs with the reality of the situation. After all, if she could make it so Zeon's leadership was as morally good as it could be then she could prevent unfortunate wars such as this very one and allow the nation to flourish under a kind ruler rather than harsh dictator, easing the lives of millions...well worth the price of her career, some months carrying a child, and then years raising them, "That is how I can reconcile my beliefs and those of Zeon. I may not be able to make it a democracy, but I can support open-minded leaders like you and our hypothetical children who would allow for offices like elected Prime Ministers."

She would always want to be a journalist like her father, but being in a unique position to make the world a better place by being someone's wife made Kinue decide that it was a sacrifice she could make given the circumstances she was in.

"I always did appreciate that my father allowed for such a thing," Garma admits, his face showing some relief that Kinue's democratic mindset would not be a problem either, "And thank you, Kinue. I know this is asking a lot, I just did not want anything to stand in the way later on...I care for you and don't want to have something like this creep up on us without having spoken of it."

"I don't mind...something about you asking me to have your children helps lighten up the mood," Kinue jokes as she gives him a playful wink.

"Joke too much and I may think you are serious," Garma retorted, recognizing that she was having some fun with the otherwise serious conversation.

"Maybe I am having a little fun with the idea, but you know how I feel...honestly Garma, if you wanted to elope tonight at some chapel I would and if you wanted an heir we could have a child by the war's end perhaps," was Kinue's bridge back into seriousness, admitting that if Garma desired they could nearly anything and she would be alright so long as it was what he wanted, "I love you...so whatever you want, however fast, slow, or otherwise you want to do things I am okay with because I trust you."

While there was an obvious appeal to the idea of eloping that very night and siring an heir, Garma had greater impulse control than to simply jump on such an opportunity...but that did not mean he did not intend for it one day to happen. He simply had been raised to do things 'properly', and so Kinue's blank check of how to carry out their relationship would be done in such a way.

The idea of marrying her though...well it brought to mind some dreams he had been stricken with once he began to spend time at her house, and not too surprisingly the dreams were very much about that very thing.

"May I share a secret? It is a bit embarrassing, but..."

"What is it, Garma?"

It was embarrassing to admit, almost as embarrassing as it had been the other day to admit that Kinue had been his first crush from when he would see her on television years ago...but Garma felt he should bring it up all the same.

"I had a dream about you the other night, and…well, we were living together in a 'normal' home. I was an important leader within Zeon, you were my wife supporting me, and together we lived sort of like how things are when I visit your home. You would cook for me and provide me comfort when I needed it, we could watch movies and simply lounge around the house to escape the noise of the outside world…"

He cared for his nation and people, but at the same time Garma did have some private desires and wishes...particularly being able to step out of the spotlight on occasion and to just be with his family. That feeling had been instilled in him long ago when he came to realize that even though his new home had rooms larger than his entire old house that it meant little if his family was never actually there. Never actually _together_.

"That was when I think I realized I…" Garma blushed, his embarrassment growing and growing even as he continued to speak on about his dream and what it made him feel, "That the way I care for you, and what we share, goes beyond just friendship...I tried hiding it, but now here we are…"

Kinue, perhaps having had dreams of living with Garma in quite the similar manner, did not judge him over it and instead smiled at him while sweetly asking about it.

"Did we have a family?"

"Yes..sons and daughters both, and when I came home you surprised me with an announcement that we were going to have another," Garma shyly admitted, the dream obviously having been a reflection of what he wanted but wasn't fully admitting to himself at the time, "Being a father to them in my dream reminded me of my time with my own father years ago, before I needed to work through a schedule to even see him most of the time…it's a silly dream, I know...I just have been caught up in such nostalgia for a simpler way of living than all of... _this._ "

When he finished he waved his hand around to gesture to how there were guards posted around, the restaurant was empty just to accommodate them, and he had to go so out of his way just to have a date because of the clout his name carried.

"Well maybe someday we'll make it come true...if you want," Kinue offered, accepting the blueprint of their future proposed by him, "But knowing you as well as I think I do, you probably are agonizing over the fact that your girlfriend is a Federation born woman since you're worried about what your father and people may think...am I right?"

That was most _definitely_ true, as while Garma believed in certain romantic ideals he still was held prisoner by the reality of the world he lived in.

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be the best investigative journalist I know," he grinned back to hide his own nervousness over one day speaking with his father about who he wished to marry...who he wished to further their bloodline with.

"Oh? How many journalists do you know?" Kinue quipped, pointing to the likely probability that she was one of it not the _only_ investigative journalist he actually knew.

"...fair enough, but I _have_ at least met a few. Ironically, some have come onto me even stronger than you have today...and they did not wait some months to do so either."

That likely beautiful women had tried and failed to woo Garma and now she was sitting across with him discussing what their family might be like in the future felt almost surreal to Kinue, but not in a bad way...just in the sense that had life gone slightly differently for her, that had one of a million different things happened to her, she would either be with the Federation right now or dead. Instead she was speaking with Garma Zabi, son of Degwin Zabi _(the most individually powerful man in the world next to Gihren)_ , about getting married one day. About having children, and a lot of them. Of how they would raise them, and the values they would have...

"Garma?"

"Yes Kinue?"

"Why…why me?"

It was a simple question, and she knew it was more complex than 'because you asked'...but in truth, it was still a simple answer.

Sensing her insecurity, Garma took Kinue's hand once again across the table and gave her the most sincere smile he had, "Because you care for me...the real me. What's more, you are beautiful, intelligent, and one of the people I trust most in this world...if I did not care for you I would be a fool, and if I did not love you I would be an even greater one."

Hearing him say it made Kinue's heart flutter, and so her response was more akin to a love-struck sigh than it was a coherent thought.

"Garma…"

His heart laid out for her to see, Garma clasped her hand in his own and brought it up to his lips to kiss, "Will you allow me to court you, Miss Kinue Crossroad, with the intention of one day being married?"

Kinue almost giggled despite herself, feeling like a little girl with her prince charming even though when she _was_ a young girl she had never really been interested in that sort of thing...now she had it, and she wouldn't trade it for almost anything.

"I accept...on the condition that, for the time being, this remains our little secret we only tell people who need to know."

Garma grinned in acceptance, "I suppose letting Urabe, Amir, and Emmeirch know wouldn't hurt...they can figure it out on their own though after how things went today with the chess game and from what they will see in the days to come I believe, so we fortunately will not have to put out a memo for them. Such a thing could fall into the wrong hands..."

"Of all the scandals I could deal with related to you, someone figuring out we are 'together' is not one I look forward to...but when that day eventually comes I think it will be worth the opportunity to be with you."

"So, I take it that tonight is the first of many exclusive interviews?"

"With emphasis on the word _exclusive_ , I would hope so," Kinue jested.

"If we were not in the middle of a war I think I would be asking you to marry me right now…" Garma admitted, for the feeling of 'home' he had whenever he was with her was strong enough to remind him of who he was beneath the Zabi veneer, "I promise you though that when the time is right, if we are together, I will ask you to be my wife so we can spend the rest of our lives together."

As their food is brought out for them to eat Kinue finds herself smiling, ready to begin the _true_ date now that the serious stuff was out of the way...but also having enjoyed getting to discuss these things with Garma since they were surprisingly able to find middle-ground on everything to make it work despite their differences.

"Next time let's eat in at my house...I'll even cook if you want. Since we got all the 'business' out of the way I would like to be able to lay down on the couch with you and watch a movie sometime."

That sounded nice...and so Garma spent no time at all in thinking about accepting it, instead nodding to her as their food was placed before them.

"Of course...after all, how can I say no to your cooking?"

"I love you, Garma."

"...I love you too, Kinue."

He wasn't quite used to saying it yet, but Garma figured he would have about another eighty years or so to practice together with her.

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 **A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope you will let me know your thoughts in the reviews below! Sorry for the wait, this one was quite large and I couldn't find a place to cut it into pieces so I figured I should give it to you all in one chunk.  
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 **Special thanks to MOR the Divine Being, Echowarrior, Fallen-Ryu, Jaenera Targaryen, and Kaiser Chris for reviewing last chapter, and I hope you continue to enjoy and lend me your thoughts!**


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